More Than Friends
by TiredOfBeingNice
Summary: Seventh in the 'Friends Series' It's Sky's last year at WC High, and now that she and Benny are finally a couple, she's excited to make it the most memorable year ever. But between hidden powers, unseen futures, and more supernatural mayhem, she and Benny work hard to realize the origins of their long time enemy, and why they wanted to be just friends in the first place.
1. Here's To Us

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with the latest addition to the Friends Series! Yay!**

 **Sorry if this is coming to you later than I promised. Actually, a month late.. I - being the stupid author that I am - deleted the first draft of this story by accident, and I now have to write all my hard work again. And since I don't have my laptop with me - it is getting repaired soon - I write straight off Fanfiction. Like, I mean not backing all this up onto a laptop. I know, it's stupid, but I don't want anyone sneaking into the desktop and finding fanfiction. You understand, right? Right.**

 **Plus, I wanted to post this when 'The Terror Of Whitechapel' ended, and this chapter is kind of a Halloween-horror thing. Looks like you aren't escaping from spiders any time soon, fanfic buddy. Oh yes. I went there ;)**

 **But aside from my problems, welcome to the seventh edition of The Friends Series *cue the celebratory music!***

 **I am so happy that I have finally been able to start Season 4 of the Friends Series. We came so far, am I right? Benny and Sky were 'Friends', then 'Best Friends', start claiming that they are 'Just Friends', became 'Ex Friends', and finally, are 'More Than Friends', which, if you haven't noticed, is the title of this book!**

 **And how appropriate, huh? After about 1 movie, 3 seasons, and six books, they are more than friends. Oh my god, it's about fucking time, am I right?**

 **I have so many plots for this story, and to sum it all up, there will be fun, action, and Benny and Sky start figuring out why they wanted to stay 'just friends' when pressure begins to rise. Plus, I have _two_ super-duper surprises at the end of the story! Excited much? I AM!**

 **I am also going to start what I like to call 'The Besky Project' now that I am done planning a timeline and plot for it, and will introduce it near the end of the story. Excited? Do you have guesses? You might as well review 'em!**

 **I also made the cover. Drew it myself. I am not an artist. I hope you like it anyway :P**

 **So should we start? I feel like we should.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV or its characters. I also don't own 'Fix You' by Coldplay. Those rights go to the artist and the writers of the song. I own the plots, and my OCs, specifically Sky Bryans. This is copyrighted, people! All these plots/episodes are mine :)**

 **Drop a review, and read on, readers!**

 **ENJOY!**

 **P.S- Gang's ages before I forget: Sky is 17, Benny is 18, Ethan is 18, Rory is 17, Erica is 19, Sarah is 19, and Mark _was_ 17.**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 1: Here's To Us

* * *

 _When you try your best and don't succeed_

The light shone into the old chapel through mosaic colored glass, shimmering onto the dusty white tiles. Colored light spread on the ground, and the peeking sun burned on into the church, making it seem much lighter than it should've been. The door was slightly open, allowing music to float into church like a whisper in the wind, but it was washed away with the 'pitter-patter' of the rain.

Outside was dark and rainy - dull and gray even suits the description. It was cold, and every time the door opened wider than it already was, a gush of cool, autumn breeze gushed into the chapel. A small puddle of water soaked the floor near the back of the church because of the rain, and the wooden seats were cold and hard - very uncomfortable to be honest.

Few people were in the church that day. Actually, there were two people in clear view - there was a boy, who sat ominously in the back of the church, staring at the other person very carefully, his face covered by the shadows. And then there was a girl, sitting in the front of the church; blonde hair at her shoulders, arms on her knees as her back slumped down a bit.

 _When you get what you want, but not what you need_

Outside the church stood a graveyard, and beyond that, a small reception center for holding funerals.

Inside that reception center was a room.  
And inside that room there were people.  
And inside those people were souls with the same beliefs and the same love for one boy.

A boy with emerald eyes stood at the door of the room, staring at the slightly open door. His friends stared at him as the singer they hired sung the song slowly. The pianist didn't stop for anyone, despite who had just ran out of the room.

A table of candles burned behind him - he could feel their soft heat. Beside the table was a picture of a boy, who was smiling widely, arm around a person who got cut off in the picture. His sterling blue eyes stared at everyone. His pearly white teeth shined.

And despite the hushed whispers of his friends, the boy with the emerald eyes walked silently out of the reception room - closing his eyes and digging his hands in the pocket. He walked out into the pouring rain, and crossed the street.

 _When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep_

It was hard to sleep nowadays with the memory of him burning inside her mind. It was only a week until school, and she was restless at night, her mind only thinking about him, his memory, his face, that _kiss_...

Even worse, she had been dreading this day for a long time, and she didn't know exactly what to think. Sad, angry, guilty, _confused?_ What was the proper emotion for this? What would he feel if it happened to him...

She wiped away the thoughts, staring straight ahead before closing her eyes carefully.

 _Stuck in reverse_

He should've saw this coming - she was devastated this morning, and she was a wreck when they entered the building and saw the room where they'd be holding the memorial. It was even worse when she saw his face on an easel, the boy-in-the-photo's stare burning into her skull.

He should've said something.

 _Sigh_ ; he should've said something a _long_ time ago.

 _When the tears come streaming down your face._

She wiped a tear that rolled down her cheek, desperate to catch it before it fell. She felt so embarrassed - pathetic, even. She didn't move, but she looked up at the cross that hung on the wall above the altar, and she frowned a bit, staring at Jesus - the man who was three entities in one. The man who died.

 _'To redeem our sin.'_ The girl thought carefully, her gaze fixed on the golden cross, and its tiny engravings on the top of the cross. She chewed her bottom lip softly, trying to make sure she didn't start bawling again.

 _When you lose something you can't replace_

 _'Did he want this?'_ she suddenly thought, straightening up a bit. _'Did he want to die?'_

The thought make her shudder; yeah he died, but surely not on purpose. He was more than that; stronger than that.

But then again, how could she be so sure? He was always - rather seductively - secretive, mysterious and ominous when it came to his past and any knowledge about him. You would've never known who he really was. What he really liked - maybe what he even did.

 _'Stop it._ ' she thought sternly to herself. _'It wasn't like that'_

 _When you love someone but it goes to waste._

The pianist played, and the singer sung - in the room that held almost silence. The boy with chocolate eyes leaned in to whisper worryingly into his girlfriend's ear. She nodded, squeezing his hand tightly as she didn't answer. He understood as soon as he was met with silence.

"It was his favorite song - or so she said," The brown eyed boy said quietly. The brunette vampire just nodded.

Beside them, the elderly women reassured the brown eyed boy that they were alright. And beside her, a couple consisting of two immortal blondes whispered nervously to each other, their voices hushed - barely echoing the room; not disturbing the ceremony.

"Is she going to be alright?" The blonde boy whispered. "Is she coming back?"

His girlfriend just sighed, and smiled at him, staring into his blue eyes.

"Yes." She murmured, and he just fell quiet again, staring at the front of the room as he listened to the words the song held, holding it close to his heart and remembering his friend, who had passed away.

And now he was returning to school,  
Without him.

He couldn't imagine how much worse it was for her.

 _Could it be worse?_

She thought carefully to herself as she shuddered a bit at the coming wind, wrapping her sweater a bit tighter around her rather slim body. She closed her eyes for a few seconds as she thought about why she left all of them in there, alone.

' _Wow'_ she thought, a bit jokingly. _'How selfish of me'_

 _Lights will guide you home_

Another cool breeze drifted in the air as she frowned to herself.

 _'So why did I leave,_ ' she thought logically. _'if I knew that it was selfish?'_

Was it because the boy she once loved was selfish? Maybe. He did love her, even if she loved another. He still tried, making it even harder. And he was just so frickin' lovable, that it made even harder for her to choose between the two.

 _'But if he never died...would I have chose him?'_

The thought made her want to cry even more, because she knew that she would never have chose him over her other best friend - or at least, boyfriend, now.

 _And ignite your bones_

Her eyes fell onto the golden cross again, and her thoughts whizzed in her mind faster than a speeding car. She blinked once, and a tear blurred in her vision. She stared at the cross and she just thought deeply.

 _'He died to redeem our sin,_ ' she thought steadily to herself. _'That boy...did he die for us too?'_

 _I will try to fix you_

The boy with emerald eyes finally reached the front steps of the church, but he paused; did he want to go inside? Should he just let her have her some space? Perhaps he should just leave her alone? Or should he...just...

 _'No.'_ he thought bravely, grasping his hand around the door handles. _'I have to go. I have to.'_

 _High up above or down below_

The blonde girl felt yet another cold breeze enter the church, and she shivered at the wind and the sound of squeaking shoes against the wet tiles. She slowly turned around, her stomach pressing against the wooden bench as well as she just smiled at what she saw. She turned around to face the altar again, the smile still on her face.

She knew he'd come.

 _When you're too in love to let it go_

"Hey." He said quietly, his voice echoing the hallow church. She nodded, not facing him again.

"Hey." She replied, voice barely a whisper, but just loud enough for him to understand the pain she masked.

 _But if you never try you'll never know_

"I thought you'd be here," Benny whispered from afar, walking down the aisle - totally ignoring the other boy in the church - and sitting beside his girlfriend. Sky just smiled sadly, wiping tears before they fell again. He sighed, wrapping her into a tight hug as he felt tears stain his fall jacket.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm sorry I left, I-I -" Benny shushed her rants with his lips, pulling back after a while, and just brushed the hair out of her eyes. She looked at him carefully, and smiled through her sticky tears, using the back of her hand to wipe them away. He cradled her in his arms.

"You don't have to be sorry." Benny reminded her. "Don't ever be sorry. Because it's not your fault." Sky nodded, murmuring her gratitude as he just nodded, resting his chin in her hair, closing his eyes and smiling softly.

 _Just what you're worth_

"I guess things just got a little rough in there." Sky mumbled, and Benny nodded, lowering his head to look at her in the eye.

"Of course it was; he was your best friend." Sky giggled softly, placing her head in the nook of Benny's neck. He smiled, grasping Sky's hand, that laid in his lap, and squeezing it reassuringly. Sky smiled at her boyfriend.

"You were," she paused. "and still are my best friend." Benny winked.

"Not anymore." He pointed out, and Sky just smiled again, totally forgetting about the thoughts that had popped earlier.

 _Lights will guide you home_

"Should we go back?" She whispered quietly. Benny shook his head.

"Not unless you want to. We can always go to my place." He prompted, and Sky just stood up, smiling as she looked at her slightly taller boy of her wildest dreams.

"That'd be perfect." She murmured into his chest, and Benny nodded, smiling as the two walked out of the church, hand in hand.

 _And ignite your bones_

When he made sure he left, the boy hidden in the shadows just stood up, smiling ominously to himself.

He laughed quietly, and he walked out of the church as well, in the opposite direction the couple had walked away across the street to go to the boyfriend's house.

" _Boyfriend_." He mumbled to himself chuckling. "As if."

And as we pan towards the inside of the church once again, we see that the boy-in-a-trenchcoat had dropped something inside the church. We go a bit closer, and we see what was written on the paper in cursive.

Perhaps he had accidently dropped it? Maybe he did it on purpose to show us the inevitable.

But one thing's for sure; he's plotting. Again.

 ** _'Sign here to confirm your position as Principal of the Supernatural Society of Whitechapel for the Educated Youth (SSWEY)'_**

 _And I will try_

As people walked out of the reception room an hour later when the memorial ended, brushing against each other silently into the rainy town, Sarah stayed behind, staring at the portrait of the boy who had died, staring into his blue eyes.

 ** _'Mark Peterson: 1999 - 2015. Rest In Peace'_**

 _'Where are you...'_ Sarah thought to herself, a new goal forming in her mind as Ethan popped his head into the room, holding a closed, wet umbrella. He motioned his head towards the exit, and Sarah just nodded, shivering as she pulled her trench coat on and followed her boyfriend out.

 _To fix you_

* * *

 _She was inside the Morgan's basement, and she was smiling evilly. He handed her a spider, and she nodded. She held a spider in her hand, letting it crawl against her skin as she put it on the ground. She whispered a spell under her breath, and the spider started to shake. Its red eyes enlarged, and so did its hairy legs. The spider ended up going up to the ceiling, and it roared. He quickly placed a temporary silence spell on it, and the two exchanged evil smiles, snapping their fingers and disappearing in a flash of red, leaving the large spider cramped in the basement, its eyes dark red, and venom dripping down its mouth._

...

The autumn breeze drifted across the school yard as Benny and Sky stood in front of Whitechapel High - the high school where they met the people who changed their life forever. Now that the vampires were gone, it was just them in the school - about to rule it like kings and queens.

Sky held her pumpkin-spiced latte in her hand as she shivered, holding the seam of her black, fuzzy trenchcoat nervously. Benny had positioned the red, woolen beanie that rested on his frizzy hair. Sky cleared her throat awkwardly, and Benny chuckled under his breath.

"This is it." Sky said, hands on hips as she looked at the towering school. She then looked at Benny, who was right beside her, and he nodded.

"Yup. This is where we went to for almost three years, and now it's ending." He said with a sad smile. Sky looked at him with a raised eyebrow, then looked at the school, with the same look on her face, unknowingly grabbing Benny's hand with a soft smile.

The two stood in silence as they didn't know what else to say.

"What else is there to say, anyway?" Sky murmured, and Benny nodded, his eyes drawing to the tree stump.

"Remember how that tree was possessed?" Sky giggled.

"Yeah. Then you got possessed." Benny held onto his stomach, groaning.

"Worst. Stomach ache. Ever." He said, groaning as Sky punched him lightly. The silence returned, and then Sky started to reminisce some more, thinking about the adventures they had shared in the old high school.

"And when the teachers were zombies?" Benny barked out in laughter.

"Ugh, don't remind me! Worst _headache_ ever!" He laughed. Sky hugged him tightly.

"So much has happened to _you_ in this school. Be more careful." She scolded, half joking. Benny wrapped his pinky around hers, and she just felt it, smiling. She pressed her hands against Benny's chest, going on the tips of toes to whisper in his ear.

"Go out on a date with me tonight, Benny Weir." She whispered, her lips brushing against the helix of his ear. Benny felt blood rushing to his cheeks as he frowned, stepping back a bit at the dazed smile on his girlfriend's face.

"What brought this on?" He asked, suspicious. Sky smiled, running her index finger up his chest and onto his lips.

"Do you want to question me?"

"Not really."

"Good." Sky giggled, grabbing the top of Benny's button-down striped polo, ready to kiss him. She smiled, pulling him closer until their lips merely touched. Benny felt Sky's gentle and peppermint breath on his lips, inhaling it a bit, eyes closed...

"Hey! Hey, guys! Over here!" A peppy voice yelled from behind.

Sky and Benny jumped back a bit, startled as they stared at behind them. They saw their two friends, Ethan and Rory, approach them excitedly. Benny locked eyes with Sky, and the two looked away quickly. Benny rubbed the back of his neck with the palm of his hand, and both spellmasters were blushing furiously, clearly embarrassed.

"Hey, guys." Ethan said, in his usual go-with-the-flow persona. Sky smiled, and Benny nodded with his goofy persona. As Rory ranted on and on with Sky, Ethan looked at his slightly taller friend and smiled a bit.

"Sorry for the cockblock, dude." He whispered quietly. Benny felt his ears go warm.

"It wasn't a cockblock." he protested quietly. "It was just Sky and I, about to kiss. It's not like we were gonna 'do it' right here, right now." He whispered back, frowning at his friend, but fighting off the teasing smile on his face. Ethan just nodded, winking as Rory must've picked up the conversation with his super-vampire hearing.

"Cockblock?" he asked incredulously. "Wait... were you guys about to - " Benny just blushed as Sky smirked.

"We do have some magic in us..." She said, staring at Benny with a possessive wink. Benny was a bit taken back as Ethan bit his lip to stop himself from bursting into gut wrenching laughs. Benny stared at Sky, a bit dumbfounded.

"Since when were you so arrogant...so flirty...and like...Erica?" He said, a bit serious and concerned. Sky just shrugged.

"Senior year, I guess." She paused a bit, smiling. "And _waaay_ too many boys were asking me to senior prom in advance, even if it is the start of the year." She giggled. "I have every right to be arrogant at this point. Just a little." She said with a wink, and Benny's jaw nearly dropped. Ethan looked a little more concerned, but Rory just clicked his tongue.

"I like this new you, Sky!" he piped up happily. "Real feisty!" Benny was speechless as Ethan smiled.

"Better for you, B. Better for you." He said with a wink, and Sky just laughed, walking off with Rory, as he dragged her to see his new nerd-decorated locker he finished before school even started that day, leaving Benny and Ethan alone in front of the school. Benny shuddered at every thought.

"You don't think she actually...was serious...do you?" He mumbled, a bit nervous. Ethan looked supportively at his friend, gritting his teeth.

"Um...I don't want to alarm you," Benny's head turned to the direction Ethan's finger pointed to, and he saw a guy flirting with Sky, who just beamed a grin as the jock puffed out his chest. Benny looked at Ethan, his eyes wide as Ethan shrugged.

"I'm sorry, I am gonna give you a reality check, because you are my friend." Benny nodded, and Ethan just sighed.

"Sky's hot," he said slowly. "And that is what most guys go for."

Benny just gripped to the handle of his bag nervously, but straightened up a bit.

"She is my girlfriend, and even better, my best friend." He said, voice a bit high and not anything close to reassuring. "I'm sure that she wouldn't leave me for any other jock...right?" Ethan shrugged again, watching as Sky was dragged away by Rory, the jock winking and Sky waving before being pulled into the school.

Benny growled, not waiting for a response as he stormed towards the front doors, passing by the jock and whispering a spell. He pointed his finger discreetly at the jock's pants, and, with a spark, fell to the ground, revealing pink underwear, unicorns and rainbows littering across it. Students that passed him snickered at the blushing jock.

Ethan just chuckled as he walked past the jock, stopped, and stared at his underwear, then to the jock, who frantically pulled them up.

"See how I felt?" Ethan mumbled, shaking his head disappointedly as the jock just buckled his belt quickly, girls snickering at him.

"It's my sister's," He whined, earning more laughs and smirks from other students. Ethan barked out a laugh.

"Doesn't make the situation better!" Ethan yelled, his voice ringing behind him as the jock just felt embarrassed, grabbing his bag and running into the school, past the busy body of students. Benny and Ethan watched him dash by as Ethan just stared at Benny, dumbfounded. Benny just smirked at the guy, crossing his arms cockily.

"Sky is my girlfriend," he pointed out. "and it'll stay that way." He narrowed his eyes determinedly, and Ethan just rose a questionable eyebrow. Benny sighed.

"Whatever it takes," He said aloud, walking to class as the bell rung. Students frantically dashed to their classes, as Ethan just sighed, going to his own.

* * *

Benny smiled as he took out his textbooks, humming a tune as Sky, Ethan and Rory walked towards him. Rory beamed.

"You ready to rule the school?" Rory said happily, making Ethan roll his eyes and Sky snicker. Benny just flashed a smile as he took textbooks out of his locker.

"For rulers of the school, they give a lot of homework," He remarked, getting more laughs from his friends. Sky moaned, carrying her textbooks and binders, unlocking her locker with one hand - luckily, her locker was beside Benny's again this year, and he helped her out. She sighed, twisting her combination in, missing, groaning and starting again.

"He is right though. Ever since this morning, the teacher started speaking gibberish." She complained, and Ethan just shrugged.

"Welcome to the beauties of AP chemistry." Ethan grumbled. Rory sighed.

"At least you guys didn't sit through AP biology. They covered some...reproduction things. Why must we start the year by learning about hereditary stuff, evolution, and sex?" He shuddered, and Sky just giggled softly, finally swinging her locker opening and loading her stuff into the locker and pulling out a math textbook. Benny sighed.

"Remind me again why we _all_ took 'advance placement' classes when we might not even go to a regular college because of...you know what?" Benny whispered, referring to their abnormalness. Sky and Ethan looked at each other, and shrugged.

"I want to do well in college or university - whichever one we go to." Ethan said, smiling like the A student he was. Sky grinned, pointing to Ethan.

"Ditto." She replied, and Benny looked at Rory, expecting an answer from the peppy blonde vampire. Rory, however, just smiled.

"I did it for fun!" His smile faltered. "No more fun, though. Just work." Benny chuckled as he replaced organized his textbooks and binders in order by his schedule. They had a good five minutes before the next class, and Benny decided to spend it with his friends and some organizing. He placed a notebook in his locker as Ethan's phone vibrated in his pocket.

The 'Jurassic World' theme song played, and Ethan pulled out his phone, answering it.

"Hello?" He asked, and a voice buzzed on the other side. Ethan smiled wider. He pulled the phone away for a minute, covering the speaker as he smiled at all his friends, his teeth shining and his cheeks a bit pink.

"It's Sarah!" He whispered excitedly. Rory shouted a "Hi Sarah!" at the phone, as Benny smiled, crossing his arms and Sky nodded. He went back on the phone with his longtime girlfriend, still smiling through all his words.

"Sarah!" He said with a smile. "How are you? I miss you so much. How's college?" He rambled, and everyone heard Sarah's giggling on the other side. Sky mumbled "real smooth, E." under her breath as Ethan blushed.

...

 ** _Lotta Latte_**

"I miss you too, Ethan." Sarah said, her phone on speaker as she sipped her coffee. Erica rolled her eyes, sticking out her tongue as Sarah tried to hush Erica's giggles and quiet mumbles of teasing and snarky remarks. Sarah sighed.

"And college is great. Hard, but great. Even though I know I will be in this community college for a year, since we are all going to go to a college suited for people like...us," She said a bit more slower. "I think I am frying my brain with all this information in my course. 'Biology 105: Anatomy & Physiology' is _sooo_ much fun." She said sarcastically, making Ethan laugh. His laugh rang in Sarah's ears like bells as Ethan's voice rumbled over the speakers.

 _"Well, I miss you way too much."_ Sarah melted as Erica nudged her with a playful smirk. _"When can I see you again?"_ Sarah smiled.

"How about tonight?" She prompted. "Erica and I don't really have any plans tonight, and no one is going to any lame frat parties - "

" _Yet!_ " Erica interrupted. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"- so we'd be more than happy to see you all again." Sarah finished off, and Ethan just grinned.

 _"Awesome!"_ He yelled eagerly, and Erica cleared her throat. Ethan blushed on the other side of the line.

 _"I mean...sounds great!"_ He covered up, recovering his cool - like he had any. Sarah smiled as Rory's voice piped up on the speakerphone. Sarah gave Erica a knowing wink, and Erica just blushed, looking away embarrassingly.

 _"Hey babe!"_ Rory yelled loudly, his voice crackling. Erica smiled.

"Hiya, hun. How's learning about babies in AP biology?" She teased. Rory groaned.

 _"Ugh!_ The mental images return!" He moaned, and Erica just smiled. Benny's voice emerged from the moans as he grinned his signature smile that the two vampires missed a lot. His chuckle was heard through the voices.

 _"Rory's just worried you'd meet hot college boys at your 'spike-a-punch' parties."_ He teased, and Rory pouted.

 _"That's not true, right Erica?"_ He whined. Erica shrugged, playing it hard to get.

"We'll see," She said with a smile. Rory growled, the two hearing the hiss of his fangs.

 _"We'll see?!"_ he growled, outraged. _"I promise you that will never happen; or may name is not Rory Keaner!"_

Sarah laughed at the blushing Erica, and Sky's voice finally piped up through the speakers.

 _"As much as I'd love to see you guys, I can't."_ She said sadly. _"Benny and I have a date night tonight."_ Erica whistled as Sarah smiled.

"It's okay, Sky; you have worked _waaay_ harder than us, just to call Benny yours," she pointed out with a chuckle. "while we only worked hard on anatomy and journalism. You have fun on your date." She said, and Sky just smiled.

 _"Thanks for understanding, Sarah."_ Sky said gratefully. _"I hope we can see you soon!"_

Sarah smiled as she heard a bell. Erica sighed.

"I miss that bell. We don't have one in college, therefore I'm late almost half the time." Erica said with a giggle, drinking her blood filled coffee cup gleefully. Ethan chuckled as his voice was muffled with footsteps of other students.

 _"So 7 tonight? Meet at my place?"_ Sarah nodded.

"It's only a thirty minute drive from the edge of Whitechapel - where our college is - to the heart of the town - where you are. I'm sure we can meet you there as soon as possible, right on the deadline as always." Sarah compromised.

"Seeya later, dork." Erica teased, and Ethan just laughed.

 _"I love you, Sarah."_ Erica gave Sarah that playful smile as the brunette vampire blushed.

"Love you too, Ethan." She whispered, a bit caught in the moment.

The hustle and bustle was cut off with a dial tone as Sarah just hanged up her phone with a sigh. Erica whistled, sipping her blood mischievously as Sarah reached out her arm to punch her playfully, still blushing against her complexion.

"Shut up, Erica. If Rory talked to you like that," Erica sighed.

"Would I?" She asked, leaning back on her seat, feeling cocky as always. " _Would I?"_ Sarah just shook her head as she sipped her coffee, wrapping her scarf around her beige trenchcoat, positioning her blue beanie. A gust of wind flied into the coffee shop when the door open, and Erica shuddered, zipping up her black leather jacket up a bit more, until it touched her shawl.

"It's just hard, you know?" Sarah whispered. "We have one academic year, in which we are all split apart until they graduate, and then we are reunited. In the meanwhile, we are split apart." Erica snorted a bit, looking at Sarah with that knowing smirk.

"By _what_? Thirty minutes?" She said, raising an eyebrow. Sarah just sighed again as Erica looked at Sarah earnestly.

"Look, I know you and the dork are madly in love," She waved her hands animately. "but try and not make it so dramatic for you." She paused. "And him." She looked at her with a sigh. "It makes it harder, you know?" Sarah shot Erica a look teasingly.

"That's because Ethan and I take our relationship seriously." Erica checked her nails nonchalantly.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" She asked, a bit offended. Sarah shrugged, looking away as she sipped her coffee, avoid Erica's glare.

"It means that you and Rory have a...causal relationship. Kissing, sex, flirting, dating... _sex_ ," She prompted eaily, and Erica motioned a stake to the heart, clearly offended by the brunette's offhanded remarks at her.

"Ouch." She said, and Sarah just rolled her eyes. "And that's not true! We..." She paused. "We..." She tried again, her mind running blank. Sarah crossed her arms arrogantly as Erica just smiled weakly."Um... have sex?" She tried, and Sarah just sighed. Erica leaned forward.

"We can be affectionate!" She protested. Sarah nodded.

"Yeah. Uh huh." She said, smirking, not really believing it. Erica growled, discreetly hissing.

"We can be gushy and lovey and appreciative of each other! More than you can, anyway!" Erica said loudly. Sarah laughed.

"Oh really?" She challenged. Erica nodded.

"Really!" She said again. Sarah nodded, and Erica shrugged, sipping her coffee cup filled with that human plasma.

"Besides, we agreed in Hawaii that we'd both take our education more seriously." She pointed out. "Rory is trying his hand at biology to try and take that education to the science lab if being a badass vampire warrior doesn't work out, and I am taking some advanced journalism classes for my future if it isn't working full time with the fucking Vampire Council." She said, shrugging. Sarah sighed once more.

"I guess you're right." She stated sadly. Erica nodded.

"I am!" She exclaimed, swirling the blood in her cup lazily."The supernatural world really fucked up our chances at ever having a normal job, or life, again. The least we can do is try and savage it before the supernatural-ness gets out of hand."

Sarah sipped her coffee as she sat across from Erica with a sad sigh.

"I'm immortal, Erica." She said with a sigh. "What future is beyond for someone like me?" Erica sipped her own beverage as she chuckled.

"A really long one." She answered, and Sarah frowned, because she knew that her friend was right.

Sarah checked her phone, and stood up quickly.

"C'mon, Erica. I think our next class is starting in five minutes." Erica sighed, pulling down her Gucci sunglasses.

"I will never get used to the 'no bell' thing." She said with a groan. Sarah just laughed as she sipped the last of her coffee and threw it out in the garbage can, walking out with Erica into the cold wind, walking towards their college building once again, before they ran late.

* * *

A quiet tune floated from the keys of the piano into the warm air, as Sky sipped her non-alcoholic cocktail out of the skinny wine glass. Her blue dress sparkled in the night moon, that shined through the windows.

Benny nervously adjusted his tie as he watched a teen waiter - he recognized him from his math class - wink at Sky. Sky just flashed him a flirty smile, and Benny gritted his teeth, gripping onto the the edge of his seat angrily.

"Can you tell us what the soup of the day is, _please?_ " Benny asked through clenched teeth. The waiter looked a bit more embarrassed, and told the specials through multiple stutters. Sky just ordered quickly, flashing an embarrassed smile as well, and Benny gritted his orders through his teeth.

"I-I'll get that as soon as possible." He said quickly. Benny just faked a smile, and Sky apologized under her breath as the waiter frantically walked away, cheeks bright red.

"Benny!" Sky hissed, glaring at her boyfriend. Benny narrowed his eyes.

" _What?_ " Benny asked, sipping his water with a frown. Sky rolled her eyes, not saying more to disturb the spellmasters as their appetizers came to their table. The two ate in silence, the crunching the only thing that was heard between the two.

...

 ** _Meanwhile..._**

"Hey, _Rory-kins!_ " Erica cooed, running her fingers through Rory's hair. Rory chuckled as he pulled her into a deep kiss, smiling dazedly. Erica let go, slightly embarrassed as Ethan and Sarah looked at the two vampires incredulously - and in some sort of star-struck awe.

"Did Erica get...possessed or something?" Ethan whispered to Sarah. She sighed.

"Long story." She whispered back, the two going back to the blonde vampires, who were cuddling, giggling and cooing over each other. Ethan decided it was the best time to step in.

"Okay, before someone starts to achieve the impossible and give birth, or something," The two vampire stared at him. "let's go and have dinner. My parents are out of town, and they brought Jane, so they said we can have dinner here."

Erica just growled as she nodded, going to the dinner table to set up. Sarah smirked, and Rory dazedly stumbled towards the kitchen, hitting a house plant as he aimlessly wandered around the house - he actually ended up falling onto the couch.

Suddenly, lightning danced across the sky as something thumped. It seemed as if it was coming from downstairs. Ethan frowned.

"What was that?" Sarah asked. Ethan shrugged.

"It seems like it's coming from the basement." He said with a raise of the eyebrows. Rory yelped.

"Sounds scary; I'm out of here." He said, dashing off with Erica trailing behind him.

"Wait! _I love you!_ " Erica yelled, running after her boyfriend. Ethan stared at Sarah, and she grinned.

"She's trying to prove a point." Ethan laughed.

"Doesn't seem like it's working," He said with a grin, and Sarah just laughed, walking down the basement stairs with Ethan.

"OH MY GOD!" Ethan yelled, hopping two stairs up, right into Sarah's arms. Sarah shrieked as the two stared at the giant spider that crawled around the basement floor. It grinned evilly with its creepy red eyes, and Sarah and Ethan screamed again, watching as the spider disappeared in thin air. Sarah and Ethan's eyes widened as they dashed down the stairs

"What the hell was that?! And where the hell did it go?!" Sarah shrieked. Ethan threw his hands up in the air.

"I don't know! It was a spider! Times, like, 20! Then it just...disappeared!" He said with a frightened voice, whipping out his phone. Sarah dialed Erica and Rory, while Benny picked up the phone for Ethan.

 _"Hello?"_ Benny's voice crackled. Ethan groaned.

"B? We have a problem." He said worryingly.

...

"Tell me why you have been so...flirty nowadays?" Benny asked. Sky frowned, huffing a bit.

"Why? Is there a problem with it?" Sky purred, winking at one of the coming waiters, who blushed gradually. Benny gave the waiter a glare, and he looked down, embarrassed, walking away as fast as he could. Benny stared at Sky, and she sighed.

"Okay, I admit, I am a bit...passionate, nowadays." She said with a small smile, and Benny growled.

" _Too_ passionate," He pressed, and Sky nodded, closing her eyes.

"I hate it." Sky admitted, "I hate being so flirty towards other people other than you." Benny nodded, crossing his arms, but sighed anyway. He didn't want to be too aggressive, but that was what he was wondering all day.

"I wanted to date you, not Erica." He finally said. Sky smiled.

"I guess you realized it, huh?" She chuckled, and Benny nodded. He wanted to joke around, but he kind of wanted to find out about Sky's sudden attitude change, especially towards him. Sky looked down, sipping her drink.

"I am just worried that if I am not a bit flirty towards other girls, I feel like your attention will...drain away." Benny's eyes widened at the accusation.

" _What?"_ Benny asked. "I would...but I...do you think I'd break up with you?" Benny said incredulously. Sky nodded.

"Silly, right?" She whispered quietly. Benny nodded.

"Very!" He exclaimed. "What makes you think that I would start flirtin' with other girls when I am with the girl I fell in love with?" Sky's cheeks burned red as she pointed to a nearby table, that was a few behind them.

"Because haven't you noticed that both the girls at table 7 have been staring dreamily at you for the last hour?" Sky said in shock, and Benny turned around to see the girls giggle and wave at Benny, who just smiled uneasily.

"I don't want to lose you." She said slowly.

The two spellmasters exchanged looks before laughing, smiling at one another about how silly they both were.

"If you are just the same way you were before, I wouldn't love you less." Benny wiped tears from his eyes as he laughed. "Heck, you could be a dog, and I would still love you to the world's end, Sky Bryans." He admitted, and Sky nodded, leaning over the table to stare into his eyes.

"Goddammit, Benny, I love you." She admitted. Benny felt her breath on his, and he smiled.

"How about you be a bit more dominant around me, alright?" He asked, and Sky nodded, leaning for the kiss before his phone rang.

"Dammit." Sky mumbled, and Benny answered it.

"Hello?" He asked, slightly annoyed. Sky heard Ethan's voice crackle over the line.

Benny nodded, hearing a few things as he slipped a few twenty dollar bills at the table, grabbing his jacket and pulling Sky up from her chair in a hurry. Sky looked at Benny, concern and fear in her eyes as Benny sighed.

"No time to explain; there is a spider that somehow teleported away. We need to go, before - "

Suddenly, the window in the restaurant shattered, and a hairy, skinny leg busted through. Sky and Benny screamed as a dozen red eyes crawled into view. A giant spider roared, and people in the restaurant started to flood out. Benny and Sky watched as a random guy got stung, collapsing to the ground, excess venom dripping down his bloody leg, eyes open. Sky covered her mouth in shock as Benny started to hyperventilate at all the blood.

"This is not happening to me, this is not happening." Benny mumbled, breathing heavily as a spider claimed its second victim, striking its giant leg through a girl's body. Tears streamed Sky's eyes as she felt so traumatized - this had to be a horror movie or something.

"Oh mercy," Sky mumbled, "what the actual _fuck?_ " Benny stumbled a bit at the sight of the blood, eyes blown as he ran a shaky hand through his hair. His mind started to become fuzzy, and he felt a bit lightheaded. He couldn't keep this up for long - he just couldn't...

"Benny, try and stay up on your feet - we need to defeat this thing." Sky whispered in his ear, trying to distract him from his pounding mind. It seemed to work, because Benny nodded, and started blasting spells at the spider's head. It growled and shrieked, venom spewing everywhere. The giant spider shot webs at the two spellmasters, who heard sirens. The cobweb sprawled against Sky's body, and flung her at the wall.

Sky growled, and she yelled at Benny, "Kill it! I'll get out!" as she tried to burn the cobwebs with some magic.

Terrified, Benny tried to fend himself from the spider, but things were spinning, and without Sky's soothing words, his vision started to blur, and weird images and sounds popped in his ears and in his mind. The spider roared, but that isn't what Benny heard as he stumbled a bit.

"Benny?!" He could hear Sky scream. Too late now.

"N-No..." He mumbled, taking a step backwards -

...

 _"Benjamin, you'll live with me."_

 _"But how about -"_

 _" **Don't you remember?** They died. In a car crash." _

_Benny frowned, but memories flooded through him. Memories he didn't quite piece together, but remembered._

 _"Oh," He murmured, "right."_

 _..._

Benny closed his eyes, and he didn't even bother waking up when he collapsed onto the ground. Sky shrieked, being able to break free of the sticky cobwebs that bound her to the wall, and ran up to Benny. The spider loomed over Benny's body, ready to kill Benny and Sky -

The spider collapsed on the ground, and Sky looked behind its body and smiled.

Evelyn was at the broken glass, hand extended with a spellbook in her hand. She smirked as the spider shattered out of existence, disappearing into thin air. Ethan, Sarah, Rory and Erica were on the side of the elderly spellmaster.

Not saying anything, they watched from afar how Benny stirred, and Evelyn magically fixed the place up, and somehow, everything was back to normal. People were still eating as normal, and it was like a spider never interrupted their dinner.

"What did you do?" Benny mumbled from his place on the ground. The edge of Sky's blue dress was soaked in blood, and Benny's tux had splashes of red here and there. He nearly vomited at the sight of it, but his question still stood. Evelyn helped her grandson up, and she smiled.

"I just erased that specific timeline of the spider, and sent us back to the one a few minutes ago, when the spider hadn't attacked. Since it's gone, it won't go back. And you aren't affected, because I made sure it wouldn't screw up this reality and what not. So don't worry. Nothing will go wrong" She explained.

A moment of silence, and Benny nodded in understanding. Ethan looked at his best friend in concern.

"What happened back there, Benny? You collapsed." Benny rubbed his head, and shook it.

"Not now, okay?" He grumbled, rubbing the dirt of his blazer. Ethan nodded, and they all left the restaurant, leaving Sky and Benny alone to finish the date that was rudely interrupted by a giant, man-eating spider.

"No one is dead." Sky whispered.

"Nope." Benny responded.

A moment of silence once more.

"You do know we are probably going to have to figure out if this is Talia's doing, and if we need to be on supernatural patrol for the rest of high school. And we probably need to plot on a way to stop Talia from destroying Whitechapel, and possibly the world, right?" Benny scrunched up his face.

"Maybe later?" He said, and Sky laughed, kissing him as Benny ran his hands in her messy, blonde hair.

"Maybe later." She confirmed, and just stood there, in a tight embrace.

* * *

 **A/N- That was long! I hope that makes up for the month delay :P**

 **I hope updates would be regular! I really hope so!**

 **So drop a review, and thanks for reading!**

 ** _Keep On Keeping On_**


	2. Drifting Mind

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **So last chapter was interesting! I say it was a great start to a story, don't you think? I was certainly happy with it, and I hope you were as well, right? Even if you weren't, frankly, I don't give a damn :)**

 **Like the Ex-Friends, I will give a little overview of this episode! (chapter, lol) Excited? I hope you are!**

 **Anyway, in this chapter, Sky, Benny and Ethan are investigating a strange hypnotist that comes into town, and Sky can't help but feel like she had met this stranger once before. When she volunteers as a candidate for hypnosis, Benny and Ethan are a bit worried for one of their best friends - especially when she starts acting a bit funny. Especially when she is alone. With Benny. Intrigued yet?**

 **Speaking of Benny, I will be introducing a few sub-plots that will gradually let it's way through the series. I mean, actually. It is going all the way to Family Friends! Because what is a good story without some good drama - we have yet to seen the Shadow...or have we already seen her?**

 **And theory wise, people have been saying that the secret person behind the shadows was our dearest, and _deceased_ Mark, and that I have been mentioning him way to much to be normal/innocent. To be honest, they are good theories, but read again - who has ever became a principal, or at least, _vice principal?_ *DUN DUN DUN!* But then again, I may just be luring you into two different plot lines *strokes chin***

 **Shoutouts to these lovelies...**

 **Willowleaf- Aw, thanks my friend! I am glad that it made up for the month delay. No rampage for me! Jokes! But in all seriousness, thanks for hopping on board the most confusing plot I have actually ever created. Not as complex as Five Night At Freddie's (sorry, been watching theory videos on that, and I am fucking scared to hell) but you know what I mean. And I can imagine Mark flying back on the back of Shark. Kind of looks funny if you add rainbows and stuff. Anyway, I am rambling so enjoy the story!**

 **MBAV fan66- Of course I did! I had to give you a bit of a fright, am I right? But nonetheless, I am glad you liked the chapter fanfic buddy. And you think whatever you like to think - I am not making things too easy for you, am I right ;) Anyway, thanks for your review as always, fanfic buddy! And the favorite and follow too! It's always good that I have you to rely on for every story I ever write :)**

 **Anyway, here we go! Drop a review, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV or its characters. I don't own any references, or even song references in there - mostly Muse. I do own Sky, and any other OC's you don't recognize from the actual show (although Scarlet is the older nurse from _Blood Drive_ , and I just named her). I also own these plots, because MBAV doesn't have 4 seasons, so I just made my own episodes. A lot of planning, but totally worth it :)**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 2: Drifting Mind

* * *

Benny trailed behind Ethan, who was walking into his bedroom, a huge, rolled up bristol board tucked under his arm. Benny held an untouched coffee that his grandma had brewed for him, and the heat was warming his cold hand. He was greeted to Ethan's familiar room, that was echoing with 'Survival' by _Muse._

"Okay, B, what are we going to do for this project?" Ethan smiled at Benny as he plopped all the materials on his bed. Benny saw the bristol board, a lot of paper, a laptop, and scissors, with some glue and tape.

Benny smirked as his eyes traveled to Ethan's desktop. "We could always just skip this project and play a _Supernatural Monsters Of The Future_ for a while, am I right?"

Ethan rolled his eyes. "We don't have time, Benny. We procrastinated so much that we just don't have time for it anymore."

Benny sighed as he nodded - as much as he hated to admit it, Ethan was right. Benny had asked to play that game for the last three days, and they had did exactly that. Now that the project was due the next day, they couldn't afford any detours.

"Want snacks? I can run down to get some - " Benny tried.

Ethan shook his head disapprovingly, and pouted. " _Benny..."_

"Alright, alright. Let's get going with this then." Benny gave up, and he climbed onto Ethan's bed and started to research about car accidents that had happened in the past year in Whitechapel, and around the world.

They had been doing world problems in class, and Ethan and Benny were assigned 'car accidents'. Benny didn't quite understand how that was a world crisis, but all he knew that it hit close to home, and Sky wasn't in that class. A few bullies had the opportunity to pick on Benny about that, even if they didn't know the struggle he was going through for that kind of stuff. Benny was glad Ethan was his partner.

But he was pretty sure it didn't make things the same.

"E-Ethan?" Benny started to stutter, his vision swimming. "D-Did yo..you g-get statistics o-o-on..."

Ethan looked up from his computer to realize that Benny's shaky hands were hovering over the keyboard, and he paused the music - even if they reached 'Follow Me' - and crawled over to Benny's side. He could feel him shaking. He placed a hand on his shoulder - he kind of hoped he'd get a vision.

"B? What's going on? Are you okay?" Benny shook his head, trying to blink out the blurs, but there was no use. Something was happening.

"I-I..I d-dunno - "

...

 _"You don't have to remember, Benjamin. Stop stressing yourself."_

 ** _"But grandma -"_**

 _"I told you._ **Don't bother.** _You're probably never going to remember what happened in that crash, and you might as well save yourself the cost of trauma as well. **A traumatized child doesn't do very well in school** , after all._ _"_

 _"..."_

 ** _"..."_**

 _A sigh._

 _"...go to bed, Benjamin."_

 _He nodded, and crawled onto his bed - why was grandma being so relentless...?_

 _..._

Benny started to pant, and tears were leaking down his face. Ethan managed to catch him, and Benny skipped a breath, causing him to pass out on Ethan's bed. His face made contact with the bristol board, and Ethan was starting to panic - his best friend just passed out. What the -

"Benny." Ethan let the words roll out, " _Benny!_ "

He shook his best friend, and he blinked a few times, groaning into the bristol board, sniffling as he wiped sticky tears out of his eyes. Ethan rubbed his back as Benny slowly sat back, his breathing heavy. He was trying to remember what he had seen...why he was even _seeing_...

"B? What the hell happened?" Ethan asked, concern growing. Benny shook his head, nearly curling himself in a ball.

"I don't know, I don't know, _I don't know_." He repeated himself, and Ethan was slowly thinking his friend was going mad. What the hell was he doing? Why was this happening to him? What was plaguing his best friend?

"Benny, calm down." He reeled Benny into a hug. Tears stained both Ethan's shirt, and their bristol board - _dammit._

" _A traumatized kid doesn't do very well in school, after all."_ Benny whispered, and Ethan was certainly getting freaked out at this rate. Something was happening to his best friend. Something that was scaring him very much.

He shook his head, confused, and started to literally plead. "Can you please say something that makes sense?"

Benny blinked, and sighed, reaching over for his cup of coffee and sipping it. Ethan's eyes drifted towards the cup and watched as Benny drank it. Ethan frowned - he knew his friend way to well to let this happen to him now.

"Are you drinking coffee?"

Benny lowered his cup. "Yeah, I always do. Why?"

"It's just..." Ethan hesitated, and Benny rose an eyebrow. Ethan sniffed it a bit, and coughed.

"Geez, that ranks." Ethan suddenly said. Benny sniffed it, and frowned.

"It smells perfectly fine to me."

"Benny, there is honestly something wrong with that coffee."

" _E,_ you are being ridiculous."

Their door swung open, and Sky entered. Benny smiled a bit, blinking a bit more rapidly to clear the lines that he was seeing. Sky smiled warmly at Ethan and Benny, explaining how Ethan's mom had let her in, and how she and her partner just finished their project. She wanted to see them, she had said.

"Ooh!" she purred. "Coffee!"

She grabbed the cup in Benny's pale hand and sipped it. Her face turned from relaxed to disgusted, as she nearly spit the coffee on Ethan's white bristol board. It landed on the floor, and Ethan looked at Sky in annoyance.

 _"Sky..."_ he whined. "My floor!"

"What the hell is in that?!" Sky nearly shrieked, ignoring Ethan's pleas. Benny looked at Sky, bewildered, and Ethan nodded.

"I told you! There is like, pig's poo in there." Sky smirked.

"Oddly specific," She frowned again, "but accurate."

Benny nearly spilled the coffee throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with this cup of coffee!" he protested, and feebly added, "I'll even show you!"

Benny sipped the coffee, and Ethan and Sky gagged. They knew there was something suspicious about that coffee, but it didn't seem to be affecting Benny at all. Benny finished more than half the cup, and smiled in resignation.

"Ahh." He breathed out over dramatically, to make a point. "Delicious."

Sky and Ethan stared at him as if he drank blood.

"Who made that?" Ethan asked. Benny blinked again, feeling a bit lightheaded.

"Grandma. She added a few things, she told me. Regular coffee stuff, honey, something called melato-whatever..." He mumbled, smiling at Sky and Ethan. Ethan rose an eyebrow, slightly intrigued.

"Melato- _what?_ " Ethan scrunched up his face in thought as Sky clicked play on Ethan's computer, so that 'Follow Me' would resume on YouTube. Ethan looked at Sky incredulously, and Sky just shrugged, checking her nails nonchalantly as she beamed at her brown-haired friend.

"What?" She shrugged. "I think if Benny likes his weird coffee, we should let him drink it." Benny smiled at his girlfriend.

"Thank you!" He exclaimed, sipping it until it's done, and Ethan gagged once again.

A few minutes later, Benny had curled up in a small ball and drifted to an unsettling sleep, snoring every now and then. The empty coffee cup was laid down on the floor, and Sky frowned, picking it up and sniffing it again.

"There is something really weird about that coffee."

"I know." Ethan immediately replied. Sky shrugged.

"He said his grandma made it? We could always ask her." She prompted, and Ethan shook his head, staring at the blank bristol board and the amount of information that was still needed to be collected.

"I hate to ask..." Ethan trailed off, eyes flickering to his laptop. "Since Benny is asleep..." Sky groaned, crossing her legs on the bed as she sighed.

"Come on, E, let's finish _your_ project." Ethan exclaimed in joy, a little "Yes!" and they began, Sky ruffling Benny's hair as he slept; a bit more peacefully than he was before.

* * *

 _"I'm sorry, Ethan, but this is important stuff. The Vampire Council might stake me if I don't show up to this mandatory meeting. Rory and Erica are also meeting up with me for the event."_ Sarah's voice buzzed through the phone, and Ethan sighed, wrapping his scarf tightly around his neck as he looked at the dome-shaped building that towered over them. Spotlights were dancing around the sky, and Benny and Sky were on either side of them. Benny blinked, and Sky just smiled, looking amused at the sight. Ethan sighed.

"I don't know why you guys couldn't investigate this - you guys don't even get hypnotized. Us, mortals, do." Ethan pointed out. Sky looked over to watch Ethan talk to his girlfriend, and Benny just hummed absentmindedly. She could hear Sarah's sigh.

 _"Ethie, you know yourself that is not true. Remember Erica? Rory?_ Mark?" Sky could hear Sarah say his name, and she breathed out a little puff of cold air, the wind making it swirl around in the night sky, then disappear. She bit her lip as Ethan looked at her and Benny.

"But Sarah, I am a third wheel!" Ethan pouted, and Benny just elbowed him. Sarah's giggled could be heard above the crowds walking, and she proclaimed her love and gratitude for what Ethan was doing, and hung up after. Sky snickered when Ethan shoved the phone in the pocket.

"Shut up," Ethan mumbled with a smirk, and Benny just barked out in laughter as the three mortals walked into the building.

It was almost nine in the evening, and they were attending a hypnosis show that was apparently overusing the power presented at the show. It was held in the Whitechapel Community Center, and since Sarah, Rory and Erica were at the Vampire Council meeting, Ethan, Sky, and Benny were forced to investigate the show themselves.

"I hope we don't get chosen as voulenteer." Benny murmured, presenting their tickets to the ticket guy, and walking past the gates. They went to the concession stand for some food and as they paid, Sky just shrugged.

"If it is actually supernatural, I am sure the person will probably pick the supernatural people. And we are," Her voice drifted to a whisper. " _supernatural."_

Her voice was spooky, for the teasing part, and Benny just kissed her cold cheek, allowing a blush to escape Sky. Ethan just groaned, mumbling about being a third wheel, and walked into the theater they were going to be in.

It was almost full, and their seats were conveniently near the front. Benny loudly groaned, but carried his soda and the large popcorn to the front. He didn't quite understand why they were allowing food into a hypnosis show, since it might disrupt the... _process_ , or something like that - it must be a good hypnotist.

"We have all been hypnotized, right?" Ethan suddenly asked when they had sat down. "Just making sure."

Benny didn't feel like he had to answer as Sky just nodded. "I guess, in some sort of way. But as for me? Not as much as you weak-minded boys."

She chuckled, but when she looked over at Benny and Ethan, who were not amused, she turned it into an awkward cough of some sort.

"Too soon?" Benny nodded.

"Yeah."

Sky just stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth as she watched the lights dimmed down. She had heard crazy rumors about this hypnotist, and the victims of a few murders were killed by people who had attended this show. The suspects - who all were very close to the victims; either as family, friends, or in romantically inclined - didn't remember a thing about the murders, and Sky knew, as soon as she heard it, that it was something supernatural or just plain devious on the hypnotist's part. She - even having the worst history with hypnosis - was kind of hoping she'd get to investigate the story, since she was a fellow hypnotist-in-training as well, thanks to her dad, and the investigation itself sounded way more intriguing that anything supernatural that she had ever encountered. Overall, she was quite excited.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The MC shouted through speakers, the voice bouncing through the room. "For his last night in Whitechapel, please give a hand to the famous hypnotist you will ever see - the hypnotist who will give you a thrilling experience, " - the MC sounded way to excited about this - " _Walter Wonder!"_

A puff of smoke on the stage - Sky could see the little elevator/lift/thingy that allowed that hypnotist to rise to the stage's surface behind the smoke - and he appeared; Walter Wonder. Ethan carefully looked at his features.

He had grey hair, that was as short as his own hair. But he was stunningly tall. About as tall as his dad, but about an inch bigger or so. He was also pretty skinny. His eyes were narrow and blue, and he had wore a traditional magician tux; almost skin tight, with a long tail of fabric hanging behind him. He had some sort of mischievous smile on his face, and his voice boomed, echoing the theater.

"Hello, everybody!" He roared. Sky's eyes certainly widened at the voice.

 _"You should drink this. All of it. And when you are done, make it again and drink it."_ She heard a voice in her head whisper, and her mind blurred a bit, turning a bit fuzzy. She slumped a bit in her chair, her arm sagging against Benny, who shook it.

"Sky?" He nudged her.

"Wha - just - buh - _yeah?_ " She stammered. Benny just blinked, and ignored it, letting his attention face the mysterious, pale man on the stage. Walter Wonder soon began to launch into a very scripted speech about what hypnosis is -"the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person apparently loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction.", he had explained - and what he was going to do. To be honest, it was pretty boring, and Benny didn't pay attention, until Walter asked for a volunteer.

"No one do anything." Ethan whispered. "We are just going to investigate, remember?" Sky wasn't paying attention - her attention was focused on the man, whose glare was burning in her skull.

 _"This encounter should be our little secret, right?"_ A voice whispered in her mind. Sky closed her eyes.

"Me!" She squeaked, raising her hand, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. Walter smirked, motioning her to go up as she stood up, ignoring Benny and Ethan's worried whispers of shock as she made a beeline to the stage, in which she didn't actually know if she was being compelled to do this, or -

Walter pulled out a chair before Sky could finish her thought, and smiled at her.

"Well go on," Walter winked. _"sit down."_

Sky sat on the chair in a swift motion. They locked eyes, and Sky gulped nervously - what was she doing? She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to be hypnotized. What happened to investigating?

"What is your name, darling?" He whispered. Sky gulped as she felt Walter's breath on her cheek.

"Sky Bryans." She responded, watching Walter nod as he looked at the crowd. Benny's palm was starting to sweat - he was so worried for her. If there was actually something wrong with this hypnotist, Sky had a front row seat to a big train wreck.

"Full name, darling." He purred. Sky tilted her head to the side - how did this guy know she had a full name?

"S-Skylar." She ended up stammering, feeling a bit more submissive to him. Benny could see the fear in her eyes, and he looked over at his brown haired friend. His palms were sweating, and his mind was racing with memories of past hypnosis.

"And who are you with tonight?" Sky began to get nervous, but tried to keep her ground - he was a hypnotist; of course he knew that she was with someone. And it could've been just a lucky guess, or just a general question...right?

"My boyfriend and my best friend." Sky decided to answer. The spotlight landed on Ethan and Benny - who looked very bewildered - and the crowd clapped in astonishment. Sky looked fearfully at this hypnotist, really regretting volunteering in the first place.

"These friends?" He rolled out. Sky chuckled nervously, her hands grasping on the edge of the seat.

"How'd you guess?" She chuckled out nervously, and she heard the teasing laughs of the audience. Benny and Ethan exchanged looks, and they were trying to determine whether to break the light switch and drop the show, or to go on.

But it was too late to make a decision, because Walter was already starting to begin the process.

"We can still stop this," Ethan whispered, "right?"

Benny said nothing as Sky just watched as Walter pulled out what seemed to be a pocket watch.

 _'So this is going the traditional way, huh?'_ Sky thought, _'Might as well give them a show. Maybe it won't work - he doesn't seem to be_ too _good...'_

"So, Skylar, I want you to look at this pocket watch, and let any tension you may have roll out of your system. Imagine it floating onto the ground." Walter's voice was stern, yet oddly relaxing, but Sky saw a flaw - his eyes flashed a familiar yellow.

 _The man flashed her a smile; he had bent her mind perfectly._ Sky's eyes widened - she knew this guy. She met him at the masquerade.

 _"Why would someone hypnotize someone to get drunk?"_ Ethan suddenly had a small flashback, the voice in his head matching Walter's perfectly. Ethan looked at Benny urgently, shaking his shoulders quickly.

"Benny," he started saying, "I think that is the guy who hypnotized Sky at that masquerade to get drunk." Benny said nothing as he just stared blankly at the stage, his eyes wide and unfocused, and they weren't blinking either.

"Benny?" Ethan asked a little more quieter, and he shook Benny hard. Benny gasped, snapping out of the semi-trance he was in as he just stared at Ethan in a hurry. His eyes were a bit red from staring too long, but his mind was definitely dull.

"Ethan?" Benny asked, "What happened?"

Ethan sighed as he stared at the stage. Walter was a fraud - he wasn't actually hypnotizing Sky with the pocket watch; he was hypnotizing her with his own mind. He was something supernatural, and it wasn't very good either.

"I think he's a vampire, Benny." Benny shook his head, squinting.

"Not a vampire," Benny said, remembering what his grandma told him. "but a _bender_."

"Imagine a white staircase, Skylar," Walter said, as Sky's eyes dilated yellow discreetly. "that has ten steps. On the bottom of these steps is the most softest bed in the history of all beds." Benny watched in fear as Sky began to go under, letting Walter's words wash over her.

"We are on the tenth step, and you find yourself growing tired." Sky nodded slowly, sinking a bit deeper in the chair.

"We need to do something, Ethan." Benny said, worried. "I don't think I can let this happen to her again. I can't let something bad happen to her. This is bad, Ethan. This is bad." Benny's rants and panic attacks were starting to worry Ethan as well, because he knew he was definitely right.

"Now we are on the ninth step, and you feel your muscles loosen gradually. Your breathing is on beat, and your eyes are starting to feel a bit more thicker." Sky responded with a relaxed moan, and the audience watched in awe, transfixed by the magic that Walter Wonder was showing.

"The eighth step is here, and you feel like you are very close to reaching the bottom. With every step you take, you are going deeper, and my voice becomes the only thing you listen to. Nod if you agree, dearest Skylar." Sky nodded sleepily, and she began to slip deeper into trance. Benny was biting the edge of his finger nervously - he couldn't stop it. He couldn't save her.

"The seventh step. It feels so good, so relaxing. And you are doing so well, Skylar, as we drift down these velvet covered stairs. I want you to feel happy, and I want you to drift deeper into the trance I am giving you, because you like it so much." Sky smiled lazily, rolling her head on the chair as one of the stage crew people pulled out a couch. Ethan's eyes widened - was this going to get worse?

"We are now at the sixth step, Skylar. You can close your eyes if you are beginning to feel tired, you know? You can do whatever pleases you." Benny hated how he purred commands to his girlfriend - exactly what benders do; manipulate others.

Sky's mind was in a place she couldn't really describe, but her brain helpfully replaced any common sense with the thought of a wonderful staircase. She was afraid this wouldn't work, but why should she be afraid of pure, concentrated relaxation?

"The fifth step means you are halfway, Skylar. The bed seems so close. You don't even need to think about breathing anymore; as long as you are focused on what I am saying, and the sound of my voice, you will find paradise. We have reached the fourth step - fantastic." Sky sighed in relaxation.

"Benny, shut the power," Ethan said quickly. Benny nodded, about to stand when Walter discreetly stared Benny down, eyes flashing yellow with a devious smirk. Benny stumbled onto his seat, and felt himself let go.

"No." He whispered in monotone, and Ethan groaned, trying to get up as well before Walter sent his glare towards him, and he sat back down as well. The two boys exchanged nervous glances - Walter was better than they had anticipated.

"The third step feels so good, doesn't it?" Sky nodded. "Let's drop to the second one."

Sky finally smiled as Walter rolled the couch in front of Sky's chair, grinning.

"And now we are at step one. The final one. One more step and -" Walter snapped his fingers, and Sky fell forward, landing face first on the couch in front of her, completely in trance, and completely open to anything that Walter would say.

Amazed, the audience began to clap in unison, and Benny and Ethan looked at each other nervously as they clapped when they didn't want to; Walter had turned the whole audience into a string of puppets. Walter smiled.

"You know what to do, Skylar." Walter whispered, sending thoughts to Sky through his mind. Sky nodded, receiving each one. Benny looked horrified, and he and Ethan exchanged looks - might as well do this now.

Benny broke free of the invisible bindings that bound him to the chair, and quickly said a spell to cut the power. The audience was stunned, snapping out of the trances they were all in as Walter roared loudly. Ethan tried to calm everyone down as people flooded out of the room.

Benny made a beeline to the stage, dashing past everyone to help his girlfriend, who was passed out on the stage. She had fallen off the bed, and Walter seemed to have disappeared. Benny's eyes widened, and he just sighed, pulling Sky onto his back and signalling Ethan to go.

So they left, leaving the chaos of what Walter had caused, swearing that they heard the evil cackles of Walter drowning behind them.

* * *

 _"And the events of the 'hypnotist mayhem' that had occurred last night is currently being treated for by the police. Police are asking for any witnesses who were at the show last night to please call police as soon as possible - and if anyone finds the girl who was hypnotized at the show last night, that would also be appreciated. Now for the weather, here is Marcus Holida - "_

Sky, dressed in a hoodie and Roots sweatpants, sipped her coffee as she turned off the TV. It was Saturday, and she was home all day. After the events of last night - in which she couldn't actually remember, conveniently - she had been feeling really drowsy and lazy, so she had the house to herself while her parents were visiting one of the local supernatural colleges.

Her doorbell rang, and she groaned, pulling herself up and shuffling towards the door. She yawned, slipping the hood on her messy bun of hair and opening the door, greeted with a cold, autumn breeze and two familiar faces.

"Hey." She mumbled lowly, and Benny and Ethan exchanged looks on the spot. Benny nodded, and Ethan smiled weakly, walking past Sky and into the living room. Benny pecked her cheek as she blushed a bit, allowing Benny pass as she slowly closed the door - her head pounded against her skull.

She made them her signature hot chocolate, and Benny smiled thankfully. Ethan looked at the TV, and then at Sky. Sky knew that Ethan was going to start asking questions about the night before, and she wasn't looking forward to them.

"So, are you going to go to the police?" Ethan asked, going straight to the point. Benny looked up, lowering the mug. Sky just sat down on the couch, digging her hands far into her grey pockets, staring at Ethan. Benny smiled at the taste of hot chocolate.

Sky scoffed. "Yeah, I'm just going to tell them everything I remember."

Benny rolled his eyes at the sarcastic remark, and Sky just smiled, sipping her hot chocolate. She looked at the door, desperate to change the subject as quickly as she could. "So...did Rory come with you guys?"

Benny shook his head. "No, he went to visit Erica tonight." Ethan sighed. "I would've went, but I couldn't super zoom there." He paused. "Plus, I wanted to check on how you were doing, so I just stuck with Benny boy here." He said awkwardly, and Benny gave him a weird look. Sky sighed.

"Look, Ethan, I'm doing fine. A bit rush, but I am good." She scowled, and looked blankly at the TV; she knew herself she was lying to herself, and her best friends. She wasn't okay - her head was banging against her skull, and a sudden urge was coursing through her veins. She didn't know what to tell them.

"It doesn't look like it." Benny finally said, and Sky just shrugged. Benny scooted towards her.

"Look, Sky, I really want to help you. If you feel anything, just please tell me." Sky smiled a fake grin towards her boyfriend, and he definitely saw through the lie she was placing down. "There's nothing wrong, Benny. I'm just tired." She had responded.

Ethan sighed. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."

Sky nodded - "You know where it is!" She said feebly - and Ethan had exited the room, leaving Sky and Benny alone. Sky's eyes suddenly widened, the pounding in her head intensifying as she looked at her boyfriend.

"So, Sky, I was thinking that maybe we can go to a movie or something - I am really ready to see the new James Bond movie. Apparently, Sam Smith arranged the soundtrack, but I, along with many other people, still think that Muse should be the people writing the score and -"

Sky just breathed heavily, knocking over her hot chocolate on the couch and walking towards Benny. He scrambled to his feet.

"S-Sky?" He stammered. "I-I have a feeling you don't want to talk about James Bond."

Sky just stared Benny down as she flipped Benny with one arm, face emotionless as Benny yelped, flipping onto his back as Sky pinned him on the ground. Her eyes were dull as she placed her hand on Benny's neck, choking him. Benny sucked in a breath of air, nearly choking at the lack of air as the grip tightened.

"S-Sk -" He managed to choke out, his face paling as Sky just smiled.

"Alone." She whispered. "All alone."

She repeated the five letter word, and Benny was faintly closing his eyes, the air running out. He was once told someone could survive three minutes without air, and he knew that Tom Cruise made it six minutes, so the least he could do was try for four...or maybe three and a half...

"Alone. Alone. Alone." Sky whispered, and Benny blinked - never mind; he was definitely not going to last about two minutes at this rate.

"Sky, I think you are running low on toilet paper. I mean, I was fine, but I think you're going to have to get some more - " Ethan stated, walking in on Sky and Benny on the ground. He saw a glimpse of Sky's hand, which was on Benny's neck. He could hear Benny's pained grunts.

"BENNY!" He yelled out, dashing into the living room and yanking Sky off Benny. Sky growled, hitting her head on the carpet as she was knocked out, unconscious. Benny took the biggest breathe ever, coughing and hacking as color rushed to his face. His blinked, slowly getting up with the help of Ethan.

The two laid Sky on the couch, and she stirred, waking up. Benny sat a bit farther from her, a bit traumatized at what had just happened - his girlfriend nearly killed him, and now she was knocked unconscious, which was also making him nervous.

"Sky?" He whispered. Sky blinked widely.

"Mm..." She moaned, focusing her stare at Ethan and Benny. "What happened?"

* * *

Walter stood above the Whitechapel Community Center, cackling - as soon as he broadcast the satellite to send the telepathic rays to make all the supernatural people he hypnotized kill everyone, Whitechapel would have no choice, but to bow down to him. The plan was flawless - he just hoped it wouldn't go wrong because of those two supernatural boys. The Seer, the spellmaster; all could have deadly impacts on the plan.

"Soon, this town will be mine, and soon, _the world!_ " He cackled.

Footsteps were echoing behind him. "Not so fast."

Walter turned around, and scowled when he saw Ethan, Benny and Skylar, the girl he had hypnotized the night before. Instead of showing any fear, he just grinned, clapping at all three of them mockingly. Skylar looked fragile, and Benny was looking a bit paler. Ethan, however, stood his ground.

"Oh, is it not the Scoobie gang. Those meddling _kids_." He hissed, and Ethan growled at him.

"You're a bender. We know your plan - trying to get all those hypnotized people to kill everyone. Well, the heroes aren't going to give in to anyone - even if you are going to play with our minds like toys." Ethan shot back. Benny nodded, and Sky smiled bravely.

Walter closed his eyes, using his powers to bring forward three bent vampires. Ethan groaned - it was some people he recognized from the Vampire Council. He also saw them at the hypnosis show last night, so he must've bent them too.

Benny kicked one of the vamps in the chin, sending them groaning. Benny smirked, taking the opportunity to lock them in a headlock, and pull out a stake from his sleeve and stab him in the heart - not like Anastasia would ever notice. Plus, he could sense that the charm wasn't going to get out soon. He hated the Vampire Council, anyway.

Ethan, with the help of Benny, fought against the other two vampires, smiling as Ethan landed an uppercut on the vampire's jaw. The vampire hissed, throwing a punch that connected with Ethan's jaw. Ethan growled in pain, tasting blood in his mouth.

Benny narrowed his eyes as he pulled out a Nerf/stake gun from his backpack, throwing it to Ethan, who smiled as he shot the vampire in the eye. Walter watched in astonishment as Benny grabbed the other vampire, pushing him towards Ethan, who plunged a stake in his chest, killing them.

Sky smirked as she walked slowly towards Walter. "It's over."

Walter shook his head, grinning as his eyes started to grow yellow again. "It's not over. It's not over until I say it is, and I am telling you now, Skylar Bryans, that the plan I have made is definitely _not over!_ " He shrieked.

Sky trembled at the power, but fought it hard, focusing on her only master - herself.

"I-I am not afraid of you." She gritted out through her teeth, and Walter laughed at the struggle. "I know you are caving in, Skylar. Join me. Join this cause." Sky shook her head, closing her eyes as she stuttered through a Latins spell and shot it at Walter, who shrieked loudly, disappearing into thin air in black smoke.

Sky had said an oblivion spell.

"And nobody calls me Skylar." She huffed proudly, and Benny tightened her in a hug. Ethan joined in as well, the three of them embraced in the depths of the darkness outside. Sky smiled at her two boys, grinning.

"So how about some Spectre?" She asked. Benny pumped his fist in the air triumphantly, and the three of them walked to Sky's car, and to the movie theater, laughing like the good times.

* * *

 _Talia drove along the empty highway, that lead along the edge of the mountain, humming Adele's new song. She kept her eyes on the road, which was lit up by her car's headlights. She was coming home to make a special comeback - she planned it all weekend with him. It was the best._

 _But as she drove a corner and stopped, a broke down, red car darted her way. She gasped, yanking against the wheel, but it was too late._

 _The cars collided, and Talia's car tumbled off the mountain, into the darkness. Some bystander saw it happened, and whipped out the phone quickly, climbing out of the car and trying to get down to help Talia, who was in the car, unconscious._

 _The man in the mask of the black car smiled, driving away before anyone could say anything._

 _..._

 ** _"Do you hear the bones cracking?"_** _The man said ominously._

 ** _"That's a warning."_**

* * *

 **A/N- Was that good? I certainly hope so :)**

 **Drop a review, and thanks for reading as always!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	3. Disguises Deceive The Mind

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Yes, here I am with a new chapter of More Than Friends. I am actually very excited for the next few chapters, because I am unveiling a few more secrets as we go, and apparently, I am doing a pretty damn god job because none of you are guessing it. So...yay! Sorry, that I keep teasing you with all that stuff, but let's be happy I can actually make a plot that is okay :P**

 **Anyway, recap: last episode, Benny, Sky and Ethan went to a** **hypnosis show and got hypnotized, but plot wise, Benny has been drinking some coffee, and Talia actually had quite the car accident! OMFG! Okay, that was not cool. But anyway, yes. Talia had a car accident. Who was it that ran her off that cliff? Is she okay? I guess you guys are going to have to find out :)**

 **In this chapter, we are exploring a few...differences, in some of the characters, and I can't really say much without spoiling anything, so I'll tell you now - not everything is as it seems ;)**

 **Shoutouts to...**

 **MBAV fan66- I wonder as well - it was a sub-plot I just had to add in there. Jokes! But yes, fanfic buddy.** **You are probably right - Talia is perfectly fine. But that might not be the best thing for the gang. Anyway, as always, I am glad you are enjoying the suspense - it is just like I wanted it to be, because I am slowly uncovering secret writing skills I have had hidden inside of me. But yes! Thanks for the review as always, fanfic buddy, and I hope you enjoy this one as well :)**

 **Willowleaf the Jedi - Ayyy, you got an account! I am so glad you did - I am excited for future stories from you :) And thank you, I guess! That was exactly what I was going for, so I am glad you liked it :) Anyway, thanks for your review, and keep on being awesome :)**

 **So yes. That is that! I hope you love this chapter, and please drop a review - I'll love you forever *hand heart* (Oh, danisnotonfire...)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV, or its characters. I also don't own any song references - in this chapter, Elvis and Elton John - or any TV references - i.e The Flash (Love that show) -All I own is Sky, Talia, or any people that you don't recognize from the show. And I own the plots, because I worked my ass off trying to make them interesting. So no shortcuts for you guys - if you wanna get a story, don't copy mine :P But in any case, that is all I own. Also - not getting paid for this. Sad, I know.**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 3: Disguises Deceive the Mind

* * *

 _Something was in the kitchen._

 _I knew there was something, but I didn't really want to deal with that kind of supernatural shit today. Grandma was out at a spellmaster convention. I had a movie date with Sky - we were going to stay at my place, and I was going to cook something really awesome and delicious for her. We were going to snuggle together, keeping each other warm, like the romantics we were._

 _Of course, the supernatural stops for no one._

 _...something was definitely in the kitchen._

 _I walked over to investigate, my heart pounding as I stepped away from the candle lit table to walk into the kitchen, my footsteps pressing against wooden floor. My mind raced with fear, but I tried not to think about it, because the inevitable would only come if you think so, right?_

 _"Hello?" I ended up saying, not knowing what else to say as I looked around the sink. Darkness enveloped the area around me as I decided to go and turn on the lights. I walked over to the light switch, popping it up..._

 _"Hello." A boy with light brown hair said. I gasped._

 _"Mark?" I screamed, nearly knocking down a few plates. Mark smiled, circling around me in a slow motion. I was completely frozen, transfixed at my old friend. He was here. Alive. Why? He got killed by that dragon. I swear._

 _"Did you miss me?" Mark purred, his accent ringing in my ears. I gulped, not answering as Mark looked me in the eye. I noticed that his eyes were not his usual piercing blue, but this time, they were a honey like hazel. I frowned at the difference._

 _"M-Mark," I ended up stammering. "Your eyes...they're..."_

 _Mark's face flickered, and I saw a very unfamiliar one. It flickered again, and I saw Mark's face again. In the blink of an eye, Mark's face flickered once again, and this time, I caught of glimpse of light brown hair, and hazel eyes. My eyes widened, and I stumbled back against the counter._

 _"Y-You aren't M-Mark...?" It was more of a question than a statement. Mark - or whoever this was - just smile._

 _"Sky talked about me," Mark sneered, ignoring my question. "right?"_

 _Not being able to think of anything else to say, I nodded, as Mark snapped his fingers, and all the lights in the house went out. Mark suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder, and I gasped at the ice cold feel of his hands. They felt frozen, almost._

 _"W-What are y-you doing?" I stutter again - like the fucking coward I am._

 _Mark ran his fingers through my hair, and I gasped - this was very awkward. Mark's face flickered again, and he looked like he was trying to be steady, or something like that. I realized that face was someone I actually knew, but not very well. I swear, I saw him before._

 _"Mar -"_

 _Mark pressed me against the counter and kissed me._

 _I gasp at what was happening - the fact that a boy was kissing me right now. I never actually kissed a boy - nor will I ever, because I am very much straight, thank you very much - and the fact that I was being forced was not fun._

 _But there was something about this kiss that made my world go fuzzy..._

 _I blinked, and the last thing I saw was those unfamiliar, but recognizable, hazel eyes shining back at me, holding back a breath as I felt myself slip away. The only thing I heard was a cackle, and it wasn't a very British one either._

* * *

Sky walked into WC High, holding her textbooks and notebooks in her hand as she hummed an Elvis song quietly to herself. She was a bit early, and she had promised to meet her friends as soon as she came, so they could discuss the events of a few nights ago, at the hypnosis incident.

"Wise men say," she sang quietly, "only fools rush in."

She arrived at her locker, continuing to sing quietly to herself as she twisted the combination of her locker. "But I, can't, help, falling in love -"

"With, you!" A voice sang, and Sky turned around, her beanie flopping around a bit as she saw the chocolate brown eyes of Ethan, smiling at her with his charming grin. Sky giggled, placing a friendly kiss on his cheek.

"You flirt." Sky muttered, and Ethan placed a hand to the heart.

"You know I am a committed man." He joked, and Sky laughed, rolling her eyes as she punched him in the arm jokingly. "And I am in a very happy relationship, so I guess we are even then, huh Mr. Morgan?" Ethan just laughed as he went to his own locker, conveniently two lockers away - Benny was right in the middle of them.

"So, you okay after -" Ethan didn't have to finish that sentence, because Sky already beat him to it.

"For the last time, Ethan, I am perfectly fine. My mind is completely mine, and I promise there is no control that Walter has over me; especially since he is now rotting his filthy soul in the oblivion where he deserves to be."

Ethan winced. "Ouch, harsh."

Sky scoffed, as she took a few books out of her locker and switched it with the ones in her hand. She caught of glimpse of the vampire ninja, and she turned around, shutting her locker and leaning against it, her boots pressing against the metal.

"Hey guys!" Rory chirped. "How was the hypnosis show? I heard it as a blast."

Sky and Ethan gave Rory an incredulous look, and Rory just shrugged, skipping around Sky like a lost puppy. Sky smiled at his perkiness - hanging out with Rory was like drinking at least two cups of coffee, in her opinion.

"It was certainly...forgettable." Sky ended up saying, and Ethan bit his lip, holding back a laugh.

The three conversed for a while, despite the fact that Benny was a bit late to their little meeting, and students began to flood into the empty school, filling it with life and a lot of laughing, gossiping, and chatter.

Among the crowd, Sky caught a glimpse of Benny, and waved her hand. Benny looked up, and he smiled, walking to his friends slowly, his eyes fluttering to Ethan, mostly. Benny smiled, his teeth shining in the sunlight that crept in.

"Hey!" Sky cooed, kissing his cheek. Benny looked down at the slightly smaller of the two, and just nodded.

"Hello." He said awkwardly, and Sky just looked at him with a frown, before shrugging. Rory leaned in close to Benny's face, making smooching noises as Ethan just placed his hand in a heart, pretending to be some sort of Cupid.

"Stop it." Benny said jokingly, and Ethan just began mumbling, "Can you feel the love tonight?" very quietly. Benny rolled his eyes at his friends, and smiled at Sky, who just hugged him affectionately. Benny didn't pay much attention as he smiled at Ethan.

"Hey, Ethan." He ended up saying, and Ethan just awkwardly smiled. "Hello..."

"So who watched The Flash last night?" Rory said eagerly. Benny's hazel eyes suddenly widened as he looked at Rory with a wide grin. Sky nodded, and Ethan launched into an exciting discussion about Dr. Wells, and the singularity, and Zoom.

The bell rang, and the four teenagers started to go to class. They all had the same class that morning - instrumental music. As Ethan, Sky and Rory went one way, Benny went the other, his bag flopping up and down behind him. Sky turned around, looking at him, perplexed.

"Benny?" She watched him turn around. "We all have instrumental music."

Benny flushed red. "Oops, yeah, you are totally right."

Sky flashed him a weirded out look, but shrugged as Benny followed behind his friends, looking down at the floor as Rory animatedly talked about video games, comic books, and the news.

"Hey, did you hear about the hospital down the street?" Everyone looked at the blonde vampire. "Yeah, apparently someone stole a bunch of drugs and just took off. The guy had the mask and everything." Sky shrugged.

"What was the drug?" Rory thought for a minute.

"I dunno, something to do with morph-whatever." His eyes suddenly brightened. "Maybe the guy wanted to morph into a, I dunno, zebra or something." Ethan sighed as Rory then launched into a conversation about morphing, nerdy stuff, and his science project with his partner.

"Speaking of which, have any of you seen Liam?" Ethan asked. "He's my partner for my science project, and I think he is away again." Benny's eyes darted at Ethan quickly, shrugging as casually as he could. "No? No. Haven't...seen him. Yeah."

Sky looked at Benny with a rather incredulous look, but ignored it as Ethan groaned.

"Typical. I am doing the project all on my own." Ethan grumbled, turning a hall to music class. The teacher was late, and as Sky set up the guitar, and Ethan set up his saxophone, Rory looked at Ethan with confused eyes.

"Who is Liam?" He asked, and Ethan shrugged.

"Liam Harley. Eleventh grade. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Pretty sure he's gay, too. He always wears bow ties." Benny frowned, sitting beside Sky as Rory went to the drums and began tuning it and reading the beats.

"Why, you never saw Liam before?" Benny asked. "He's a pretty cool guy, actually." He added, and Sky shrugged.

"He might've been my biology partner back in ninth grade..." Benny stretched a smile. "Pretty sure it was tenth grade, first semester, Sky." He gritted out through his teeth, and as Sky looked at him, he shrugged again. "You told me about him, remember?" Not remembering, Sky just smiled.

"Well, are you going to begin, piano man?" Sky asked as the music teacher walked in. Benny's eyes widened. "P-Piano?" Ethan nodded, blowing a note into his saxophone as he nodded, smiling at his best friend.

"Yeah, dude, today we are practicing your favorite song! Star Wars, with the piano!" Benny's hazel eyes widened again, and he looked at Sky nervously. "S-Sky, I don't think I am up for it today - perhaps you can fill in for me?" Sky shook her head.

"Sorry, Benny, but I have yet to perfect the amazing solo you have. You did, however, and I am pretty sure you are the only one who could." Rory nodded from the back, playing the beat to the Star Wars theme, and Ethan practicing a few bars. Sky played the guitar, and Benny gulped. "Practice makes perfect, right?"

Before Sky could answer, the music teacher walked in, ready to get right into it. Sky patted Benny on the back, kissed his cheek, and pushed Benny off, a nervous sweat breaking down his neck as he sat before the slick, black piano.

He read the notes before mumbling to himself. "I can do this."

The teacher raised the baton in the air and began to play. Benny's mind suddenly blanked as Rory started to play the beat to the song, and then the whole class started to go in. Benny watched as Ethan played the saxophone, and smiled dreamily -

"Benjamin Weir, are you in a different universe today?" The music teacher shouted. Benny blinked back into reality as he felt the whole class stare at him. He blushed, and Sky turned around to face him. Ethan did as well, and frowned at his hazel-eyed friend.

"Benny, that was your solo." He reminded him, and Benny just blinked.

"R-Right." He stuttered. "Sorry."

Sky just sighed - today might not be the best day for him - as they began again, and this time, Benny attempted at the solo, but it kind of sounded like a mess. Eventually, Benny was bumped back to guitar, and Sky took over, and they ended up continuing.

At the end of the class, Sky, Benny, Ethan and Rory ended up meeting up again.

"What happened in there, Benny?" Ethan asked. "Did you practice at all last night?" Benny nodded.

"I swear, I did, I just don't feel very up to it today. Sorry guys." He muttered, and Sky just gave Benny a reassuring kiss as Benny went to his class. Rory frowned.

"Hey dude, don't you have history?"

Benny turned around, laughing nervously as he bonked his hand against his forehead. "History. Definitely. What a silly goose I am!"

Sky, Ethan and Rory looked at the spellmaster walk away, saying hi to a few people, and turning a corner. Rory looked at his two friends, his goofy smile disappearing in one swift motion, as he frowned at what had happened.

"Is Benny okay?" He asked. "He is kind of acting...non-Benny like." Sky just nodded.

"I don't know. I guess our spellmaster is kind of feeling rough today." She pointed out, and Ethan shrugged. "And a bit clingy." He ended up adding, remembering how awkward Benny was around him, and Sky just sighed.

"I guess we all have those days, huh?" She finally said, and Ethan nodded.

The bell ended up ringing, and the three of them split up to their separate classes, forgetting about the unusual morning.

* * *

Benny walked into his house to see his grandma, Sky, Ethan, Rory, Erica and Sarah. His eyes widened and he quickly dashed into the kitchen, laughing nervously as the teens looked like they were trying to find something.

"G-Grandma!" He squeaked. "W-What are you doing here? I though you were at the convention?" Benny's grandma smiled warmly at him.

"Well, it was delayed, so I just came back. And my spellbook - I can't seem to find it. Have you seen it, Benjamin?" Benny quickly shook his head, dashing straight to his bedroom . Everyone exchanged looks, and after two minutes, Benny came running down, panting.

"Definitely not in my room. Don't look in there because it's already not there." He said quickly. Erica nodded, giving her usual confused face, and Benny just smiled weakly at the two college vampires with a smile.

"So Sarah, Erica, what brings you here?" Sarah shrugged.

"There was a problem with the water, so all classes were cancelled for the weekend," Erica groaned.

"So annoying," She added in between. Sarah smiled.

"So your grandma let us stay here for a while until the problem is fixed! We'll be in the guest room." Benny's eyes widened. "WHAT?!" He nearly exclaimed. Everyone looked at him with a confused face, and Benny smiled weakly.

"I mean...hooray! I am so...happy." He covered up quickly, blinking. Sarah walked up to him in concern.

"Is there something wrong, Benny? You are a bit pale today, and...did you dye your hair?" Benny looked in the mirror to see his hair was a slightly lighter brown than before. He looked at Sky with a smile.

"Yeah, actually. It is pretty nice, huh? I did it for you!" He winked at Sky, and she just shrugged.

"I kind of liked you old hair better." Benny nodded, and looked at Ethan.

"You staying over, E?" He asked casually. Ethan shrugged. "I guess, do you want to play video games?" Benny's hazel eyes lit up like Christmas lights as he smiled widely at his best friend.

"Yeah!" He squealed, and when everyone looked at him, he coughed, and just nodded.

"How about at your place? Sounds good? Okay, let's go." He ended up saying, and dashed out the door, pulling Ethan along with him. Benny's grandma, Sky, Rory, Erica and Sarah looked at each other.

"A bit jittery, huh?" Erica smirked, and Sky rolled her eyes, nodding with a grin. Evelyn went to the kitchen to continue brewing some stuff as Rory sped off with Erica to go on a relaxed coffee run for everyone. Sky helped Sarah unpack.

"So, how is college?" Sky asked while carrying some of the bags up into the guest room. Sarah shrugged.

"It's good," She sighed, "but it's kind of hard to remember that we might not even stay there and have that normal education." Sky looked at Sarah with a soft smile as she unloaded some of the clothes that they had packed for their stay at the Weir residence.

"You don't have to go to the supernatural school," Sky pointed out. "It's just that it might be easier for you to, um, blend in. It's your choice in the end, though." Sarah folded some clothes and sat on the bed with a shrug.

"I can't really decide." Sarah said. "Part of me knows that going to a school for our kind is a good idea," - Sky sat beside Sarah, brushing her blonde locks out of her eyes, - "but part of me wants to make me think I am still normal; deep, deep inside." Sky hugged Sarah tightly as she smiled.

"I know that you'll make the best choice, Sarah. And whatever one you choose, just know that we'll always support you." Sarah grinned, pulling back.

"That means a lot to me, Sky. Thank you."

As Sky and Sarah continued to unpack, Sarah began to brew up conversations about Sky's high school life, and what was new in her old high school. Soon, it became avid discussions about studying, love lives, and other personal things, and before they knew it, they abandoned all responsibilities to chat their worries away.

"I miss this, you know?" Sarah said suddenly. Sky nodded.

"I agree. It's so nice to have these talks with someone, without having to think about any supernatural crisis', like Shadow." She waved her hands at the word, and Sarah just giggled like a school girl, smiling.

"I am so done with Shadow." Sarah huffed. Sky frowned.

"What happened to Talia, anyway?" She suddenly asked. "We haven't actually heard from her in a while. Why would she cut off all communication with us, or at least stop teasing us about our personal lives like the perv she is?" Sarah shrugged.

"I guess we just don't take it for granted." She ended up saying, and Sky nodded.

They continued to chat when Sky snapped her fingers.

"Oh, shoot," She stood up, and Sarah followed her. "I forgot to ask Benny where he left my math textbook." She pulled out her phone, but Sarah just stopped her, looking at her with concerned brown eyes like she always does.

"Why don't you just go in his room? He had to have left it there." Sky frowned.

"Don't you think that is an evasion of privacy?" She nervously asked. Sarah just looked at her in disbelief.

"Sky, you guys are in a relationship." Sky rolled her eyes. "I think that you guys should be able to trust each other way more than you do already." Sky nodded, thinking about what Sarah had said, before she feebly added, "What does Benny have to hide in there anyway? A body?"

Sky laughed. "I guess you're right. What's the worst that can happen?"

They exited the room and went straight for Benny's. Sky smiled at all the nerd memorabilia that was scattered across the room, and she caught a glimpse of the concrete slab that she and Benny had signed their names on the day they met.

"Do you hear something?" Sarah suddenly asked, perking up. Sky frowned."No, why?"

Sarah darted right past Sky, and sniffed the air a bit. "There is definitely someone else in here. Someone's aura is coming from," She sniffed again, "the closet."

Sky walked over to the brown, wooden closet, and noticed their was some sort of steel lock wrapped around the handles. She flipped it around a bit, and Sarah leaned over her shoulder to take a peek at what it was.

"What is that? Was it always there?" Sky shook her head.

"No, there's usually shirts hanging from the outside of it. This is oddly neat for Benny's closet." She suddenly noticed the whole of the room, and frowned. "Actually, this is oddly neat for Benny's room. It is usually never this tidy." Sarah shrugged.

"Maybe he did it out of some procrastination-driven guilt?" Sky bit her lip.

"I don't think so. Benny procrastinates by playing video games and alphabetizing his DVDs, CDs, and video games." Sarah smiled a bit at the amount of knowledge that Sky knew about the spellmaster, and Sky just blushed. "I see him procrastinate a lot." She added, and Sarah rolled her eyes. That's when it hit Sky.

"Eyes." She blurted out. Sarah frowned.

"What about 'em?" Sky paced the room, away from the closet.

"Benny's eyes," She said. "They were hazel. Not green." Sarah scrunched her face up in thought. "Really? I always reckoned that Benny had a hazel-ish color for his eyes, or maybe even a really bright brown."

Sky shook her head. "They are green. Emerald green. Like grass blowing gently in the wind."

Sarah looked at her. "How do you know what grass - "

"Not now." She cut Sarah off, and ran back to the closet, yanking on the steel lock a bit.

"Benny couldn't play piano today, and it was like he wasn't even _himself._ " Sarah looked at Sky as she stretched the word. "Wait, you can't actually believe that -" The two exchanged looks at each other, and then to the locked closet. Sky nervously looked down.

"His hair was a lighter brown, and his eyes were hazel. You don't think that -" Sarah pushed Sky gently aside and using her vampire strength, pulled the lock right off, catching a few sparks. The lock flew off with ease, and fell to the floor.

The two swung the doors open, and to their surprise, a body fell limply right forward. Sarah gasped.

"So Benny _is_ hiding a body!"

Sky ignored Sarah's attempts at humor as she knelt against the body and lifted the head up a bit. It was Benny.

"What the fuck?" Sarah mumbled.

Benny's eyes were open, but were a bit cross-eyed and dazed. He was definitely awake, but something told Sky that he was definitely not okay. He was blinking widely, and his head fell against his chest. He was pale, and shuddering every now and then.

"Morphine." Sarah announced. "He is on a high overdose of morphine."

Sky's eyes widened. "A bunch of morphine was stolen from the hospital down Rory's street. Do you think that -" Benny started to mumble things, closing his eyes and looking around like he was a drunk trying to walk.

"Wha -" He muttered, and he blinked again, his mouth curving into some sort of a smile.

"Hey, Benny, how you feeling?" Sky asked, having the urge to treat him as if he just woke up from surgery or something. Benny just blinked, his eyes going a bit more cross-eyed as his head slumped down a bit. He ended up blinking, nodding his head back up and rolling it around.

"So the Benny with Ethan," Sarah said, looking up. "Is he -" Sky stood up.

"A shape shifter." She said. "A shape shifter is someone who can morph their own DNA to match someone else's, therefore giving them the physical traits of the person, but not the mental and personality part of it, which would explain why Benny wasn't acting like his usual self." Sarah's eyes widened.

"That shape shifter is with Ethan right now." Sky's eyes widened, and Sarah picked up Benny and grabbed Sky's wrist, speeding towards the Morgan's residence with no hesitation whatsoever.

When they arrived, they were shocked to see Benny kissing Ethan on the couch, all while Ethan was struggling to let go. Sarah gasped, and the Benny on top of Ethan looked up, grinning when his eyes fell on the dazed Benny in Sky's arms.

"Why, it was about time you figured it all out." Benny clapped slowly, rolling off the couch, letting Ethan angrily wipe his lips as Sky marched right up to the Benny twin, blue eyes filled with rage and annoyance.

"Who the hell are you?" The Benny placed his hand against his heart.

"Shame you don't know me, Skylar," He snapped his fingers, and dissolved into an exact replica of Sky. "We are basically the same person."

Sky just growled. "Stop playing games with me and tell me who you are."

This Sky just grinned, dissolving into yet another familiar face. "Why, don't tell me you don't actually know who I am, Sky. We were - and will forever be - best friends, after all."

Sky screamed as she kicked down the Mark clone, knocking him to the ground as Mark just laughed.

"Alright, alright. Show's over." He dissolved into someone a bit more unfamiliar, but Ethan's eyes just widened in surprise and shock at who the person was. Sarah looked at the boy with light brown hair and hazel eyes in confusion, and Sky just frowned.

"Liam Harley?" They all said in unison. Liam shrugged Sky off, and stood up.

"Yeah, it's me." He said with a sinister grin. Sky frowned.

"But why?" Liam just growled, looking specifically at Ethan, in which Sarah just tightened her grip on his wrist.

"Because no one knows me. No one acknowledges my existence," He sneered, "and none of you know what it feels like for your crush to walk past you every single day, and not even know who you are!" He roared, knocking down a - very expensive, might Ethan add - vase.

"Y-You had a crush on me?" Liam kicked the broken pieces.

"Whatever! I'm sorry." Sky looked at him darkly.

"So you stole morphine, drugged Benny, then took his place? That's just cold." Liam had tears in his eyes as he turned away from the teen, pushing past them and making a beeline for the door with a dark frown.

"I'll just leave, okay?!" He screamed. "Whatever! I'm sorry! I just thought it'd be nice to feel loved! Acknowledged!"

Everyone fell silent as Liam turned his head to look at them one last time. "Look, I won't tell anyone about you guys, I swear." He pointed accusingly at the gang. "But I'll have you know that I know _every single thing_ about you, and it kind of hurts that none of you know anything about me."

He slammed the door, and the room was silent before Ethan and Sky began to talk.

"He had a crush on me?"

"He stalked us?" Sky said at the same time. Sarah laughed, punching them lightly on the shoulder.

"Take it as a compliment." She simply said.

Sky laughed as they went to aid the unconscious Benny, who was still a bit doozy, but ended up recovering just fine.

* * *

 _Liam kicked a pebble, walking down the street as he just dug his hands in his pocket. He was leaving, far away from this town, that he'd never have to see anyone he disliked ever again. He would find the right guy, and just live his life._

 _But then he was met with a guy who jumped from the bushes and knocked him down. Liam gasped._

 _"What the hell, man?!" The man behind the mask just gruffly grunted._

 _"You know too much." He growled. "I don't trust you. You know everything about them. That means you know me. And now they know you. And I can't let that happen. Unfortunate," The man paused, "for you, not me, of course."_

 _Liam rose his hands shakily against the cement. "I swear, I have no idea what you are talking about -"_

 _The man pulled out a knife and swiftly stabbed Liam in the chest, and Liam gasped, blood pouring as he took his last breath. The man drew the dagger out, smiling at the crimson blood running down the blade, and licked it._

 _"Mm." He smiled. "O-Positive."_

* * *

Night dawned onto Whitechapel as a fully recovering Benny sat on his bed, listening to music, and looking at the stars out his bedside window. He tapped his pencil lightly against the edge of his textbook, and his phone suddenly buzzed.

"Who could be texting at this hour?" He mumbled, sliding his phone open to reveal a new text message.

 _go to whitechapel harbor hospital._

 _at exactly midnight, go to room 324._

 _if the receptionist asks, tell her that i gave you permission._

 _go alone._

 _don't tell anyone._

 _...or else._

 _~Talia._

Benny stared at the phone screen, and not daring to say another word, climbed out of bed, pulled on some jeans and a hoodie, and just climbed out the window swiftly, bringing his phone with him in his pocket and went off into the night.

* * *

 **A/N- I hoped you liked that very much :)**

 **Anyway, I am sorry again - Search For Happily Ever After will not be coming due to unfortunate reasons. I'm not going to promise anything, but a chapter will be posted by the end of this month at least. I swear.**

 **Drop a review - tell me how I did!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	4. Diaboli Volumus

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Last chapter was quite eventful, don't you think? I certainly hope you liked it - along with every twist, turn, and bump in between. Turns out that Benny wasn't _Benny_ the whole episode, and that some mystery guy has killed off Liam, the shape shifter? But questions still need to be answered - why did the mystery guy go for Liam? What else did Liam know? **

**And Benny - _oh Benny._ Looks like he decided to make a pit stop to go and visit Talia in the hospital? What is he doing? What is Talia's real plan? Is it evil, or is it for good? We all know the obvious answer...but...?**

 **Enough of recap - let's get to this chapter. This chapter is called 'I Wish', and it is exactly what the title proposes. I originally wanted to call this 'I Wish (which is what I labelled the title when I revealed all chapter titles in Tropical Friends', then I thought it was really dull, so I decided to rename it to 'Diaboli Volumus', which you will find out what that means soon. It is relatively important, however, so I do hope you enjoy it.**

 **Shoutouts to...**

 **Willowleaf the Jedi- He might still be on drugs, you know? That made me giggle a bit :P Anyway, what _was_ Benny thinking, anyway? I guess only I know the answer to that. But questions will probably remain unanswered for a period of time, unless you can piece out the answers as well. But keep asking, guessing, and maybe I'll be able to PM you if you got it correct :) Until then, thanks for the review, and I hope you enjoy reading this!**

 **MBAV fan66- It was pretty sweet, huh? In its own, twisted way, supposedly. But yes, this season I am planning on adding a lot of supernatural characters, so maybe you should keep count or something fanfic buddy ;) And be honest - wouldn't you be the slightest curious on why the person who actually killed you is asking for a visit? I know I would. Maybe I'd bring a gun or something, but I'd definitely be curious :P Anyway, thanks for the review as always, fanfic buddy :)**

 **So with that, drop a review, and I will love you forever *hand heart* (tip my hat to you, Mr. Howell)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV or its characters. Any people you recognize, or any modern day references, I also don't own. Any song titles I may have slipped in, I don't own those either. Wow, I don't own much, huh? I do own Sky, any other people you don't recognize, the plot, and I hope you acknowledge that :)**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 4: Diaboli Volumus

* * *

"Dammit, Ethan, fuck you and your _fucking_ red shells!" Benny swore as he watched Ethan, aka Luigi, pass by Mario, who was paralyzed for a few minutes before bouncing right back into the game, trying his very best to race past his friend-in-red once again.

Sadly, it was too late, as Luigi sped through the finish line, and Mario did as well, seconds after him. The celebratory end-of-the-race screen flashed on the TV brightly. Benny groaned loudly, and Ethan triumphantly pumped his fist in the air.

"Goddammit, _yes!_ " Ethan screamed, and Benny almost threw the remote at him.

"I hate you!" Benny yelled back, and Ethan just laughed, punching him playfully as he began to choose the next course. Benny, however, pouted teasingly, and threw a pillow at Ethan. Ethan yelped, and Benny just rolled on the bed in laughter.

It was a Sunday afternoon in the Weir residence, and Ethan came over to Benny's house when he found out that Benny had returned from the little "adventure" he had went on at around 9 on Saturday night, all the way to noon that day. Ethan was worried about his friend's whereabouts, but didn't know how to bring it up.

"I swear, B, Mario Kart is the only time I can get you to swear like a sailor." Benny rolled his eyes. "It's not that impressive, E." Ethan grinned, and he smiled at Benny as he just grabbed a handful of popcorn. Benny sighed.

"I want the power to beat you in Mario Kart." Benny muttered.

Ethan smiled. " _I wish I could grant wishes, Benny_."

Benny rolled off the bed and sat in front of his TV screen, and Ethan looked awkwardly at Benny as they began to play the race course, Benny already souring in the lead.

"So...where were you last night, Benny? We were supposed to sleep over at your house, but your grandma said you were out. Was everything okay, Benny?"

Benny's eyes widened, but he didn't tear his eyes off the screen. "What do you mean?"

Ethan looked at Benny incredulously as he snuck a glance at Benny, distracting him for a split second, allowing for him to crash in a wall and lose his second place to a computer Princess Peach, but got back into the game as soon as he could. "I mean that you haven't even spoken about where you wandered about, and you can't just come back in the afternoon and act like nothing ever happened." Benny sighed, pausing the game before Ethan could throw a badly aimed green shell at Benny.

"Look, I don't really want to talk about it." Ethan looked at Benny with a slight concern, and Benny shook his head, tearing his glance away from his friend. "I swear, Ethan, it isn't what it sounds like, okay? I am perfectly fine. Nothing is wrong with me...I promise."

 _"I'll help you remember."_ She had said. Benny remembered.

"Benny?" Ethan's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You have been quiet for a while. You okay?"

Benny nodded. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

The door swung open before Ethan could answer, and Sarah walked in. Benny was a bit surprised, but nearly forgot about how they said they were staying over at their place for the weekend on Friday. Sarah smiled at the two boys who were in the room.

"Hey guys!" Sarah chirped, and Ethan kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey babe, how are you?" Sarah smiled. "All good, as always, honey!"

Benny gagged, but his face was written with a playful smirk.

 _"In which my fellow maiden walks in, smiling like the rays of the morning sun?"_ Benny saunters towards Sarah, and pulls her into a passionate kiss. Ethan's eyes widened as he literally saw his friend sweep his girl off his feet.

"What the _fuck?!_ " Ethan yelled, pulling Sarah off Benny and nearly pushing his friend on the bed. Benny lied down on the bed, eyes wide as his friend looked at him with fury and fire in his wide, brown eyes.

"Dude, get off me!" Ethan shook his hand. "What the hell possessed you to kiss Sarah?!"

It took all the strength Sarah mustered to get Ethan off Benny before he could sock him in the face. "Ethan, Ethie, relax, okay? Let me explain myself." Ethan glared at Sarah, but tried to keep his cool as he shrugged Benny off him.

"Ethan, Benny asked me if I could show him how to be...um...passionate." Ethan's eyes widened, and Benny had realized that what Sarah had said somewhat made the situation they were in even worse. He pushed Ethan and Sarah apart before they would fight as well.

"What Sarah is trying to say, is that Rory made a play for his drama project called _'Every Morning, Governor'_ and that he gave me the main role. And then, during rehearsal, Mrs. LOL said I wasn't very...passionate in my performance." Ethan was about to open his mouth to protest, and Sarah shut him off again.

"Sky was sick, and she had given me the role of teaching Benny how to actually act...passionate around someone." The anger in Ethan fades, and is replaced by some sort of confusion, mixed with astonishment and shock.

"But...Benny is very...passionate." He stammered, trying not to make it sound as awkward as it was. Benny grinned.

"Aw, thanks, E."

"Shut your trap, Benny."

"Benny is passionate about _Sky_. And the female lead role is not Sky." Ethan made an 'O' with his mouth, and Benny just blushed. "It's this girl named Becky Johnson, eleventh grade." Ethan's eyes held mischief when he looked at Benny, who blushed madly as Sarah continued on, walking around Benny's room.

"So he's nervous. He hasn't shown any...passion to anyone but Sky, and has no emotional connection to his co-star. Sky told me about it through sniffles and sneezes, and she then recommended that I help him with that by being his...substitute girlfriend."

Ethan started to laugh a bit nervously, masking any jealousy that he repressed inside of him. "So you are telling me that you and Benny are _'dating'_ so Benny could become more passionate with someone else?"

Sarah and Benny nodded. "I'm sorry I never told you, dude, but I don't exactly know how to bring up 'hey, your girlfriend is helping me become a sexual beast around people that aren't my girlfriend; you understand, right?' to you."

A moment of silence passed before Ethan just hugged them both. "Well, dammit, you couldn't have said it a better way than you just did."

The three laughed, but Ethan felt himself shudder as a blur of red and black fizzled in his room, and an eerie laugh echoed in Ethan's ears.

* * *

Ethan laughed as Sky rolled on the bed, coughing.

"Stop making me laugh, Ethan, you know I feel like shit that just got ran over by a bus." She mumbled, and Ethan passed her a glass of water as _Lord Of The Rings_ played on Sky's mini TV in her room. Ethan grinned.

"I know," he said, "which is why I am going to continue!"

Sky squealed, trying her best not to laugh as she coughed even more. "Son of a bitch, Morgan."

Ethan continued the story about how they found out their lovers were now in a fake relationship, and how he reacted to the news. Sky listened to all of it with wide eyes, trying her best not to laugh, then cough her fucking lungs out.

"I am sorry I didn't tell you, Ethan, but I kind of wanted to know how you would react to the news." Ethan punched Sky lightly, and Sky giggled scratchily, drinking the water that Ethan had handed over to her. Ethan's face flashed with worry, and he pulled out a box from his back.

"By the way, Benny wanted me to give you this." Sky grabbed the wrapped gift and rose an quizzical eyebrow. Ethan responded to this with a shrug. "Don't ask me; he said that since there was less than a month until Christmas, he wanted to start getting festive."

Sky giggled, coughed, and unwrapped the gift to see a small box. She giggled and showed it to Ethan.

"He got me cough pills, that filthy bastard." Sky rolled her eyes, before grasping onto her throat. Ethan looked at Sky, and showed a bit of concern for the blonde spellmaster, that was laid down on her bed like a deflated balloon.

"Are you okay?" Sky shrugged.

"My throat just feels like it's on fire." She giggled. "I just want to not be able to feel anything, especially my throat. Pretty sure I am on my period -"

"Didn't need to know," Ethan suddenly intersected, and Sky smiled.

" - and cramps are not fun. Plus with this throat, I wish I was like Benny with the morphine - at least I wouldn't notice how much pain I am in. " Ethan looked at Sky, arching his eyebrows up as he flicked a piece of wrapping paper off the bed.

"Are you telling me that you want to be high for no apparent reason? Should I be worried?" Sky rolled her eyes.

"I am just kidding, you doofus." Ethan rolled his eyes, but felt himself shudder as he saw a red blur out Sky's window. His eyes narrowed in confusion, and he felt himself grow a bit numb. Sky noticed his pale face. "Ethan, you good?"

He nodded, picking up his coat in a swift motion. "I-I'm good. I just don't wanna get sick; take those cough pills, okay?"

Sky coughed at Ethan's monotone voice and dilated eyes, but nodded. "Whatever, dildo. On your way you go."

"Stop being Erica!" Ethan managed to say behind a close door, and he heard Sky's laugh, but the only thing that rang in his ears was some sort of shriek that he heard from no where particular, and no one particular as well.

Ethan walked out into the cold, wet, November setting, and out of the Bryan's residence. He crossed the street and walked a block until he found a girl with a slim, short, red dress leaning on the lamppost seductively. His lips parted.

The girl had long, silky, blonde locks, and her eyes glowed red. Her lips were cherry red, and they were pursed together, as if she were in a deep thought about something that Ethan couldn't determine if it was bad or not. Nonetheless, Ethan stumbled towards her.

"H-Hello." He stuttered. The girl pecked her lips.

"Hello. You are Ethan, no?" She had somewhat of a German accent, and Ethan felt himself start to sweat, despite the fact that he was nearly at freezing point in this as-usual Canadian weather he was stuck in. He nodded, not being able to say anything else. She smiled.

"My name is Diaboli Volumus," She paused, "but you can Diana for short."

Ethan opened his mouth to protest, but Diana pressed her chest against Ethan, smiling. Ethan's eyes widened.

"What do you want with me? Sex? Love? Anything else? Because the answer is no." Diana smiled as she traced her long, red nail on Ethan's cheek, and Ethan felt himself blush immediately as Diana leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"You're so _nice._ " Diana purred. "You have a heart of fucking gold."

"Is that a problem?" Ethan squeaked, and Diana just laughed.

"I want to give you the power to unleash your... _dark side_."

Ethan's eyes widened as Diana trailed her hands to his heart, and whispered something under her breath.

 _"Do you want it, Ethan? Do you want what you wish?"_ Ethan sucked in a tight breath, and he saw the swirls of it fade in the cold air. Diana looked at him intimidatingly, and Ethan's eyes flash a rosy, devilish red. His frown faded into some sort of straight, dazed expression, and he tries to find the words to speak.

"Yes." He answers instead.

Diana smiled. "Then it's yours."

* * *

"What do I wish for?" asked Rory, animatedly waving his hands all over the place as he looked over at Benny and Ethan, who were walking alongside him. It was Monday morning, and the three boys were heading towards their lockers to get ready for first class. Ethan dug his hands in his pocket as he and Benny watched Rory think deeply about the question, before bluntly answering Ethan's question, "Probably to have millions of penguins and chickens to be able to live their dreams!"

Benny crinkled his nose. "That's oddly specific." Rory shrugged. "I always wanted chickens and penguins to be happy, you know? They are the underdogs of the birds, and should be able to soar like the winged birds they are!"

Ethan laughed quite eerily. "Rory, chickens and penguins can't fly."

"Not with that attitude they can't!"

"He makes a good point, E." Benny chuckled, and Ethan just rolled his eyes.

"So you are telling me," - Ethan looked at Rory with raised eyebrows - "that you wish for penguins and chickens to _fly?_ Out of _all the things_ you could've wished for...you want them to be able to fly?" Rory nodded. "Yup!"

Benny and Ethan exchanged looks, and Benny sucked a breath. "To be honest, that _is_ something Rory would wish for."

Ethan laughed as Rory just shot a glare at Benny. "Touché. I don't know why I am so surprised."

"Hey!" He exclaimed. Benny and Ethan laughed, and Rory just teasingly crossed his arms at his two friends, turning a corner and heading towards their lockers. Benny and Rory continued to talk a bit before Ethan caught sight of a familiar girl with blonde hair.

His eyes glowed black, and one word rung through his ears.

 _Wish.  
Wish.  
Wish,_

"Ethan?" Benny asked, waving a hand in front of his transfixed friend. "You alright?"

Ethan stood still, but dropped the textbook in his hands onto the ground. "Yes. I have to go."

The textbook landed on Benny's toe, and he yelped, pulling his foot back as he and Rory watched their brunette friend walk away, disappearing around the hall corner. Benny and Rory exchanged confused looks, and then watched as Ethan walked back to them a few minutes later, his face expressionless.

"Ethan, what the hell, you dropped a textbook on my pinkie toe!" Benny whined, his sentence jumbled as Rory nodded frantically. "It nearly grazed mine, you should be more careful, E!" Rory added feebly, and Benny looked at him with his 'really?' look. Ethan just blinked.

"Sorry, Benny." He said, tilting his head to examine Benny a bit. Benny frowned.

"Is there something in my hair?"

"N-No." Ethan stuttered, and Benny just brushed his hand through his hair - just in case.

"Hey, Rory! Ethan!" Sarah chirped, walking towards the three boys in the hallway. Ethan snapped out of his semi-trance, and saw Erica and Sarah stood in front of them. Rory's eyes widened; specifically at Erica.

"Erica? Sarah?" asked Rory in astonishment, "When did you guys go back to high school?"

Erica rolled her eyes as Sarah explained they were there to help some of the grades to get used to the transition between high school and actually choosing a path for themselves, since they weren't going back to their dorm rooms until Wednesday.

Sarah gave Benny a knowing smirk, and Benny bowed his hand down and smiled.

" _'Tis the sun's light shine t'ward us, or your beautiful perspective, darling, gov'nor, you look like you were coated with radiant light and sparkle like a star fell upon day.'_ " Benny recited from Rory's play, and he swooped Sarah into another passionate kiss, pushing her into her arms and leaning in with the kiss. Sarah moaned, and cupped her hands around his cheeks. Erica gagged, and Rory smiled in wonder and pride.

"Perfect!" Rory sighed. "Bravo! Olé! Yippee!"

Ethan coughed loudly, catching the attention of Sarah and Benny, who blushed, separating themselves quickly.

"You're lucky, E." Benny ended up saying, blushing as Sarah's cheeks flushed red as well. Ethan just gritted his teeth, and watched as Benny walked away quickly, with Sarah by his side, who told him a bunch about how he could "be passionate, but try not to show the script through your action."

Ethan just growled, and thought of something as hard as he could about what Diaboli, aka Diana, had told him.

 _'I wish he'd fall on his face. Right now.'_ He crinkled his nose at the thought, and he felt his blackening heart thump nervously. _'I wish he'd fall.'_

Benny, who was a bit in view, suddenly tripped on his own feet, and fell on the floor.

"Benny!" Sarah yelled, and a bunch of students snickered - including Ethan.

* * *

Benny stood on the stage nervously, script trembling in his hand as Rory stood on what seemed to be a director's chair. Becky, Benny's 'love interest', stood right in front of Benny, with eyes of silvery blue staring at him uncomfortably. Benny weakly smiled at her, and then glared at Rory, who was flirting with Erica.

"Ahem," Benny coughed loudly, and Rory snapped out of it, adjusting his beret as he got out his megaphone.

"OKAY PEOPLE, LET'S GET ON WITH IT!" He screamed, and the whole audience - aka Sarah, Ethan, and Mrs. LOL - winced.

"Tell me again why Rory being a director _seemed_ like such a good idea?" Sarah asked, and Ethan just laughed, his eyes drifting away from his girlfriend to see Diana walk into the theater with a mischievous smirk, that seemed to be directed in Ethan's direction. His jaw dropped slightly, as he watched the blonde girl sit in the back of the theater.

"Benny, in this scene," - Rory's voice snapped Ethan out of his own thoughts - "you, the governor general, are visiting the Queen, aka Becky, and you guys are going to discuss the secret relationship you are having."

Benny nodded, and Becky just squealed.

"Oh, gosh, I am so so excited for this. This is going to be so much fun. Yay. Yay!" Becky rambled, and Benny felt a mini migraine coming on. Sarah looked at Ethan, expecting him to snicker alongside her, but Ethan just watched blankly at the stage, eyes narrowed.

 _'Your girlfriend helped him be this passionate,'_ Ethan thought darkly as he watched Benny and Becky say things, and kiss. He could see the nervousness in Benny's eyes, but it was probably much better than it could've been. Ethan was having a hard time finding the good in his heart again, but Diaboli - _Diana,_ he reminded himself. She was no devil, that's for sure - had done something to him...it was good...that it was bad, that is...

"I wish I was still human, you know?" Sarah suddenly whispered, and Ethan looked at her with confused eyes. Sarah just shrugged, facing he glance towards the stage again. "I always wanted to be a Broadway star, or a movie star, or both, but I can't show up in cameras, or news clippings, or even have my picture in the Hall Of Fame or something. It's kind of depressing, you know?" Sarah muttered, and Ethan just nodded absentmindedly.

The rehearsal went on as Erica dashed in, a Starbucks latte in hand, and discreet bags under her eyes.

"Hey guys," She whispered, watching her boyfriend scream at one of the stage crew for dropping his piece of bread onto the floor - " _Now I have to eat dirty ass bread!" -_ and looking at Sarah and Ethan. "Sorry I'm late. I just came back from informing tenth graders the wonders of university, and had to go on a fucking coffee run for Principle Higgins.

Rory's tantrums drowning in the background, Sarah just chuckled. "Principle Higgins still consider you the 'fastest-coffee-runner-for-obvious-reasons'?" Erica nodded, and Ethan just squirmed in his seat a bit, taking a glance at Diana every once and a while.

"I wish I had a clone or something," Erica muttered, sipping her peppermint mocha with a frown. "Then I'd never be late for anything."

Suddenly, for the third time that day, the door swung open. But this time, everyone seemed to notice who walked in - especially Benny.

Sky, a scarf wrapped around her neck, walked down the aisle, and everyone seemed to notice. Benny looked at her in fear, and dropped the script in a bit of fear - his girlfriend was now here, and he was going to kiss a girl that was not her.

Things could've not went worse from there.

"Um, you guys can continue. It's not like I'm Beyoncé or anything." She said with a smile, and Benny just smiled weakly, going back to his play, but this time sneaking glances at Sky, who was in the front row with Ethan, Sarah, and Erica. Rory nodded, and continued to shout random things that were in no way relevant to the play.

"Someone bring me a turkey!" He yelled, and Mrs. LOL just looked at Rory with rose eyebrows, and some ninth grade kid went to get it - of course, he was going to call Rory out for being so weird, but he saw Erica glare at him with the 'you better listen to him' look, and he just went with it, running to the nearest Walmart.

Rehearsal dragged on, and it ended up just being Sarah, Sky, Erica, Benny, Ethan and Rory. Everyone had left after Mrs. LOL evaluated Rory's work, and was looking forward to Rory's debut to " _directing"_. Becky just smiled, and walked away too. Diana seemed to have disappeared as well - Ethan didn't know the answer to that.

"So wait," Benny said, sitting on the edge of the stage. "You wrote a play, and you aren't even getting marked for the final part?" Rory frowned.

"Um, _no_." He said as if it were the obvious thing ever. "I already filmed the final product. It's just that you aren't in it. Selena Gomez is though." Benny's cocked his head forward, and Erica stifled her laughs. Sarah gave him a confused face, and Rory began to explain.

"So I sent Mrs. LOL a video of me and Selena Gomez, whom I just photo shopped in there, acting out the whole thing. She was a bit confused, and I told her that I didn't have any actors to debut the actual play with, and that Selena Gomez was just the perfect part for it. She said she'd accept if she actually _saw_ me directing, so I just searched up 'real, mean, directors' and did exactly what they did, so I guess that was that."

Sky frowned. "Why 'mean' directors?"

Rory looked at her incredulously. "Because 'mean' is slang for 'cool'. Get on with it, Sky!"

"Are you saying that she didn't even _mark_ my acting skills?" Benny asked in shock. "You promised me that this would get me bloody extra credit!" Rory just shook his head. "Nope!" He smiled, popping the 'p' with a dorky grin. "I had to get you to join somehow."

"How about Becky?"

"Oh, she actually got extra credit. I asked Mrs. LOL for it."

Benny's eyes widened. "So why didn't you tell Mrs. LOL that _I_ wanted extra credit?"

"Because I forgot; _duh_." Rory said with a smile.

Everyone groaned, and Benny threw the script on the ground in frustration and slight annoyance.

"So shall we go?" Sky said, pulling herself up before coughing a bit. Benny looked at her with a frown.

"You okay, Sky?" Sky nodded. "I'm good. I am just recovering from my terminal illness," She joked, and Benny just punched her lightly, kissing her hot forehead as Erica, Rory, Sarah, Benny and Sky walked away. Ethan was to follow, hands dug in his pocket, but he saw the glimpse of blonde hair.

 _Diana?_

"Who is Diana?" Sarah asked, and Ethan found his friends standing right in front of him, their eyes flickering towards the blonde girl who know stood on the stage. Ethan frowned - he didn't even realize that he had said the name aloud.

"Ethan, let's go. You are paying for coffee." Benny said with a smile, and Diana, who stood behind the stilled Ethan, let herself bring some sort of dark energy to Ethan's mind. Ethan growled, and he threw the megaphone in Benny's direction.

Benny gasped, and he dodged it quickly, watching it shatter against the door.

"That's my megaphone!" Rory exclaimed, a quick frown written across his face. Ethan growled.

"You always think that _I am so nice!"_ Ethan screamed, and Sarah was startled by her boyfriend's sudden rage. "You always have some way to take advantage on how much I ever fucking do for you, so now, it's time to get revenge!"

"Ethan, I'm sorry, I'll pay for coffee if you want!" Benny stammered, and Sky punched him in the arm, suddenly feeling the room spin -

Sky slumped down on Benny's chest, giggling, her eyes crossed. Benny looked at Sky with a confused glance, that matched everyone else's looks. Sky just giggled, feeling loopy as Benny looked at Ethan with eyes of fire.

"What did you do to her?!" He yelled. Ethan smirked.

"She wished for morphine," Ethan said with a smile. "so I gave her some."

Sky giggled, slumping down onto the ground, and rolling her on the ground with a dazed smile. Ethan watched as Diana basically floated down and off the stage, standing beside Ethan like his own personal demon. Sarah flashed her fangs.

"What the hell are you doing with Ethan?" She screamed. Diana smiled.

"I am Diaboli Volumus." She sang, her voice demonic and dark. "And I have just given Ethan what he always wanted." Ethan's friends looked at Diana in horror, and then at Ethan, who had flames of fury in his eyes. _"The power to grant your wishes."_

Benny's eyes widened - Diaboli Volumus meant 'Devil's Wish' in Latin, and Ethan had wished for the power to grant wishes. Diana - Diaboli, actually - looked at Benny, and grinned - she knew that he figured out. Time for the show.

Sarah moaned, and she felt herself drop to the ground. Benny looked over at her in shock, and Sarah felt her heart beat.

"I-I'm a human." Sarah whispered, and Ethan didn't even notice the pain that his girlfriend was showing. "W-Weak...as a human...I-I'm _weak._ "

Benny's eyes widened, and he suddenly saw chickens and penguins fly from behind the curtains, that attacked the gang. Instead of shock, he felt a small pang of annoyance, and he looked at Ethan with eyes of irritation, feeling the need to call Ethan out on this one for being just a douche.

"Come on, man!" He yelled, and Ethan just smirked as he snapped his fingers, allowing a clone of Erica with red eyes to pop into existence.

"I really should've saw this one coming." Erica muttered, and the clone of Erica just fought her.

Diana cackled as Ethan continued to torture the gang. Benny crawled over to Sky, who was still high on morphine, laughing.

"M-Make a wish, Benny bear!" Sky giggled. "M-Make a wish t-too!"

Benny's eyes widened in realization as Diaboli looked at Benny in concern.

"Don't you dare, false spellmaster." She gritted out, and Benny smirked.

" _I wish that Diaboli Volumus vanished from the face of the earth, going back to hell where she belongs, and that everything would turn to normal!"_

Diaboli Volumus screamed, shattering to ash that sunk in the ground. Sarah felt her heart stop, and she smiled in relief. The chickens and penguins in Rory's hands suddenly flopped back on the ground, losing their ability to fly, and Erica's clone disappeared as well.

Benny smiled as he helped his girlfriend up. "You good?"

Sky smiled weakly, blinking widely. "A bit doozy, but yeah. All good."

The air around Ethan rippled, and Ethan's heart returned to its normal kindness.

"Guys?" Ethan asked, stumbling into Sarah's arms. "What happened?"

Everyone laughed as Sarah kissed Ethan, explaining to him what happened.

"You're so good, Ethie." Sarah muttered. "I love you for that, so never change."

* * *

 _ **Saturday**_

 _Benny walked into Room 324 of the Whitechapel Harbor Hospital, as instructed, and looked over to see Talia, lying down on a hospital bed. Her neck was covered in a cast, and her leg was suspended in the air with the help of some hospital equipment. Benny held his guard, however, keeping his distance._

 _"You look like shit."_

 _"You've looked better," She retorted, and Benny looked at his paled hands and saw a glimpse of bags under his eyes in the steel bed. A heart monitor beeped in the background, and Benny just growled at Talia with a steely glance._

 _"I've had a rough couple of days, that I assume are your doing." He sneered, and Talia just placed a bandaged hand over her heart.  
_

 _"Oh, Benny, I wish I could take credit for whatever has been happening, but as you can see, I am a bit bound up to do so."_

 _Benny just growled. "Someone killed Liam Harley, minutes after he left us when we exposed him as a shape shifter. The police questioned the whole school. Thoughts?" He shot back, and Talia just placed her hand on her bandaged forehead._

 _"Ugh, you're giving me a headache, Weir." She muttered, and Benny growled, going up to her bed and choking her, hand on her neck, making her pale eyes widen._

 _"I could cut your IV right now, Baxter." He growled. "I could drive a stake down your chest, or make sure you go somewhere you can never escape again. I could kill you. It's not fucking difficult." He growled, and Talia didn't even flinch._

 _"W-Weir...grew a pair?" She managed to squeak out, and Benny just hissed, pulling back and releasing his grip on Talia's neck cast, allowing her to breathe. He turned away from the Oblivion Spellmaster, eyes of hate._

 _"Why did I fucking bother coming here." He murmured, turning away to go before Talia's hoarse voice stopped him._

 _"Wait." She growled, and Benny turned away. "I actually wanted to talk to you. Civilly."_

 _Benny turned around, closing his eyes as he sighed. "I could stake you at any time." - He patted his messenger bag - "I always come prepared."_

 _Talia just laughed. "As if you grew_ enough _guts."_

 _Benny just growled, and sat down beside Talia. "So what the fuck do you want, you son of a bitch."_

 _"Someone should clean your mouth with soap, if not just let you read the bible and ask God to forgive you of your sin." She growled, and Benny grasped onto the handle of his satchel. Talia took the message, and sighed._

 _"Someone ran me over, which is why I am here, and I need to know who it was. It was...a red car. That's all I remember." Benny's eyes widened, and Talia just narrowed her eyes. "Don't act surprised, Weir; I am a rather valuable asset, you know?" Benny snickered._

 _"God, may you forgive me of my sin, and bless the person with the devil car." He joked, and Talia couldn't find the strength to throw a pillow at Benny._

 _"I'm leaving, Talia - you deserve this more than anyone." Benny stood up, and Talia growled. "Good riddance."_

 _Benny turned to walk away, and Talia closed her eyes._

 _"I need your help." She blurted out. Benny's eyes widened, and Talia looked everywhere but Benny.  
_

 _"Why should I help you?" Benny asked suspiciously, not even asking how he could help in any way. Talia sighed._

 _"I'll help you remember."_

 _Benny didn't even have to ask what he had to remember. He just sat down immediately beside a smirking Talia._

 _"Do you remember a license number?"_

 _Talia smiled._

* * *

 **A/N- Could've been better if I didn't feel like my throat just caught on fire.**

 **Drop a review, and thanks for reading - until I cure myself, and my chronic procrastination disorder! :P**

 ** _Keep On Keeping On_**


	5. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a holiday special of More Than Friends!**

 **If you are reading this, it must be December 24th, and it is Christmas! Eve! Merry Christmas - thanks for sticking by me another Christmas :)**

 **Yeah, I was debating this one, because I would love to finish this story as soon as I can, but then I realized I don't have an official holiday fic for 2015 (hold your tomatoes, please.) so I figured that this fluffy chapter would make up for it :)**

 **Last chapter was interesting, no? With the whole wishing devil and the [more important] meeting between Talia and Benny! Did you like it, my friends? I hope it filled you with enough suspense that would get you at the edge of your seats, because that is what I am here for, my friends :)**

 **This chapter won't have much suspense or supernatural action (maybe except for the end, though. And towards the middle) but some holiday fluff that will make you smile - I really hope it does :) Not much suspense, but just something to brighten your holiday :) I think I might add some reference to Holiday Friends, but not many, so if you haven't read it, don't feel pressured, because it is a long read :P I have been trying to make things as domestic as possible nowadays, but keeping the supernatural in there. This will lean towards the domestic side - I hope it brightens your day :)**

 **Shoutouts to these merry people!**

 **MBAV fan66 - Merry Christmas, first of all, fanfic buddy! Thanks for making me smile with every review. and making me feel like it's Christmas every single day! It means a lot to me, fanfic buddy :) For your review - I thought you'd like evil Ethan. I wish he'd show up on the show at some point *dreamy sigh, before snapping out of it* Oops! Sorry - forgot Ethan is yours ;) Anyway, I am glad you liked the suspense and the episode (er...chapter) - thanks for your review as always :)**

 **MBAVFOREVER - Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, whatever you celebrate, I hope it's happy :) I am also happy that you like the story as well - it is one of my favorite ones to write :) Thanks for your kind review - it made me smile as if Christmas was everyday :)**

 **This author's note consists of too many smiley faces - I think we should get this going, huh?**

 **Drop a review, and I'll love you forever *heart hand* (if I could meet Dan Howell, I would make sure I'll tell him thank you for being cheesy)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV, or its characters - just any one you don't recognize, primarily my OC, Sky Bryans. I don't own...um...Christmas (:P) or any Christmas song references that you may see in this chapter. I do own the plot - copyrighted TOBN :P**

 **ENJOY!**

 **P.S- Sorry if there is anything inaccurate about winter break and things. I tried to make it convenient for the plot :P**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 5: It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

* * *

Snow fluttered down on the sidewalks, and Sky felt the soft pressure of hardened snow underneath her brown, leather boots. She let the snow fall onto her white beanie, and she pushed her hair behind her ear.

It was December 21st, and it was a good four more days until another Christmas. Of course, Sky, having such a chronic procrastination disorder, left her Christmas shopping alone until the day she actually had to help her parents wrap. In fact, she only remembered about having to get her parents and her friends gifts when she woke up, and it wasn't the best morning either, mind constantly on what she'd give everyone.

Yeah, she'd get her parents some gift card to a fancy restaurant so they can have a nice night for themselves, and maybe get her friends something cute and simple, but _Benny -_ it was their first Christmas as a couple, and both agreed they wanted to make it special. Benny mentioned already having a gift for her, and the thought made her feel regret.

What would she get the boy she loves the most for Christmas?

She felt a vibrate in her jacket pocket, and she pulled it out swiftly, checking the caller ID. She smiled; it was Erica.

"Hey, Erica." Sky smiled, pressing her phone against her ear and turning a corner to head towards the nearest plaza, the sound of coins in her wallet clanging against each other. The sound was slightly muffled with noise, but she could hear the vampire's voice loud and clear.

 _"Hey, Bryans. Whatcha up to?"_

Sky grinned. "I am present shopping, actually."

She could imagine Erica smirking on the other side. _"Procrastination finally bit you in the bum, huh?"_

"Shut up." she hissed teasingly, and Erica just laughed. _"Whatever, Bryans, as long as I get a decent gift or cash, I don't care how late your Christmas shopping is."_ Sky giggled. _"To be honest, I haven't got my presents either."_ Erica added feebly.

"I knew it!" Sky grinned, and Erica rolled her eyes.

 _"Hey, I have an excuse. Between working at Lotta Latte and college stuff, things have been packed for the last few days. They're cramming a bunch of tests since we missed a few things while the place was fixing their 'water problem', but all is good, and they are getting as much as they can before the Christmas break."_

"You still have Christmas break?" Sky questioned.

Erica nodded. _"It starts Thursday night, on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas Day, which is Friday. Then I have the weekend, and school starts right away on Monday. It's pretty short, but it's all we have. I'm lucky I am not working as well."_

"Classes are done for the day? It's, like, 4, isn't it?"

 _"Yeah, they let off a bit early, so I just took an earlier shift. Things are crazy."_

"I know what you mean," she said, placing her phone on her shoulder and squeezing it between her shoulder and her ear, trying to fish out her wallet before entering the Lotta Latte Erica was working at. "High school is exactly the same thing. Stuff has been crazy. We'll get through, though, right?"

She walked into the coffee shop and saw Erica at the counter, making someone a latte. Sky smiled as she saw Erica hand the latte over to the customer, look at the time, and smiled, taking off her apron and washing her hands. _"I am actually about to go on my break now. Finally."_

Sky smiled. "Can't you make one more peppermint mocha latte for me?"

Erica turned around from the sink to see Sky leaning over the counter, smiling mischievously. Erica's smile grew as she rolled her eyes, leaning over the counter to give Sky a hug. "I guess I can make a latte for both of us. On the house."

Sky's smile falter. "Are you sure?"

Erica pressed her index finger on her lips as she prepared two cups. "Let's just keep this between us, alright?"

Sky squealed and went to grab them a table. A few minutes later, Erica came over, her pink cardigan flowing behind her as she sat down in front of Sky. She slid the latte down the small, circular table, and Sky smiled in gratitude as she took a sip, sighing in resignation.

"Mmm..." she hummed happily. "You make a mean latte, Erica."

Erica nodded, and Sky leaned back into the wooden chair, listening vaguely to the instrumental Christmas music playing behind them.

"Why do you work so far from your college?" she questioned, and Erica shrugged vaguely.

"I dunno. I wanted to work close to home, no matter what, so people like you could barge in and risk me getting fired by asking for free lattes."

Sky laughed. "You offered."

Erica rolled her eyes, and Sky pulled her lips away from the coffee cup.

"So how is Sarah?" she asked. Erica smiled.

"She's good. She stayed in her dorm to study for an exam. I got a little time during my shift to study with the help of a girl who is also in my class, and we just took turns launching questions back and forth, between every beverage. It's been busy." Sky sighed.

"True. I don't know if I can tell the difference between conjugating verbs from present to past tense in french, and the formulas to circumference, radius and diameter - everything is mushing in my brain like a sandwich."

Erica laughed, toasting with the blonde girl. "Amen."

They shared a laugh, and exchanged stories. Then more serious talks began.

"Supernatural stuff been on the down low?" she whispered quietly.

Sky shrugged. "Things have been better since you guys left Benny's place. Nothing much has happened, aside from that wishing demon that possessed Ethan's mind a while back. But that was the only big issue so far."

Erica frowned. "Not even Talia?"

Sky frowned as well. "Actually, you're right - Talia hasn't been bothering us lately. I've been trying to convince Benny to look into it, but he would always either just change the subject, or bluntly reject me. It's weird"

"Do you think he knows something about it?"

"...I feel like we have some sort of trust between each other. He would've told me if he did know something about it." Sky said bluntly and rather defensively. Erica put her hands up in the air before sipping her own beverage.

"What did you make for yourself?"

"I just made myself a coffee, and," She winked. "maybe poured a shot of... _energy,_ if I dare say."

Sky just shuddered visibly, and it made Erica laugh.

"Are you planning on coming to the Christmas party at Benny's place on Christmas Eve? It'll be fun." Erica smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, I told my parents to drop by. It'd be great if they got out of the house. Ever since they found out about the supernatural as well, they have been trying to stay indoors as long as possible. I am glad they accept me, but they need to remember that we got things under control."

Sky sipped her latte, feeling the peppermint on her tongue as Erica snapped her fingers "Speaking of which, how's Rory?"

"He's doing well. His parents are coming to the party as well, along with Sarah's, Ethan's, and my parents. Benny's grandma is coming back from a wizard's convention to drop by, so I think everyone would be coming."

Erica smiled. "Can't wait."

Somebody called Erica's name, and Erica sighed apologetically.

"Break's over - I have maybe two more hours or so, and I'll be going back. I think I'll ask Sarah to take me back. I am so lucky we are roommates this year. It's so helpful." Sky smiled as the two girls stood up.

"It was fun meeting up with you," Sky smiled. "We should do this more often."

"That'd be great." Erica smirked, turning away before looking over her shoulder. "You should probably get shopping."

Sky smiled, pulling off her coat before heading out the door, shouting, "Thanks for the latte!" over her shoulder, and hearing Erica reply, "Anytime!" from behind her. Sky left with a smile on her face, and walked into the snowy weather.

Sky went on, stopping by the restaurant her parents love to pick up a gift card. She then went to the game shack down the street, and got video games for Rory and Ethan. Lastly, she dropped by the nearest clothing shop to pick up a beautiful scarf for Sarah and Erica.

When she walked out, she continued to think what Benny would want for Christmas. She got him that watch, and that was nice, but there had to be a little more meaning to the gift, now that they were actually a couple.

 _'What do you get a boy that is perfect in so many ways?'_ she thought, looking over at the skating rink and seeing something that caught her eye.

There was mistletoe hung on a stick by a boy, and the girl - presumably his girlfriend - smiling, pressing her hands against his chest and kissing him passionately. Sky smiled at the scene, and an idea brightened in her head.

 _'Gifts should more emotional value than money, after all.'_ She smiled, walking away to get to her house.

* * *

"I want to get her something shiny and expensive." Benny said, spinning around in his computer chair as he tapped the pencil against his wooden desk, rolling up to Ethan, who was lying down on his bed, watching TV.

"Wow, that sounds promising," Ethan smirked, "and unrealistic."

Benny stuck out his tongue, and Rory looked up from his place on the carpet.

"I'm all out of ideas, to be honest." Rory mentions. "I'll probably just buy Erica a necklace."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Wow. So much love from you, Rory."

Rory smiled, clueless. "I know, right? I think she is going to love it so much, and we're probably going to get married, move to Hawaii, and have, like, a billion babies."

Benny and Ethan exchanged looks with each other, but Rory didn't bother saying much else as he just continued to play more video games on Benny's game console. Ethan just stifled a laugh at the remarks, and Benny rolled his eyes.

"I guess you are going to have to get something that'll remind her that you guys are _forever together._ " Ethan said, as he joined Rory in the game he was playing. Rory swore when Ethan shot his character purposely, despite the fact they were on co-op mode.

But Benny's eyes widened at the words, something thumping in his chest.

His heart was beating at a rapid speed. The sounds around him blurred, and he felt himself struggling to stand up.

"B?" Rory asked, pausing their game to see Benny shakily standing up, eyes focused on nothing in particular. "You good?"

Ethan looked up as well as he saw his friend sway.

"I-I think I'm just gonna get a power drink o-or something - "

Everything turned fuzzy, and -

...

 _Benny was running as fast as his childish legs could across the endless fields._

 _"BENNY!" he heard his mother scream. Benny wanted to turn around for the sake of it._

 _He didn't._

 _He kept running._

 _"BENNY, I'M SORRY!" His father yelled, and this time, Benny turned around, but only to see that his father, his mother, and his grandma were standing right behind a girl, whose eyes were demonic black - but had a glint of electrifying blue - and hair was jet black, with a fiery orange streak in it._

 _"W-Who..." Benny whispered, his kid-like eyes filled with wonder and fear._

 _The girl with the orange streak smiled. "I used to have orange hair, kid."_

 _Benny looked over her shoulder - why weren't his parents coming?_

 _"A force field." she whispered. "They'll never get out."_

 _Benny gulped. The girl grinned._

 _"Orange hair." she hissed. "I had orange hair. My ex had brown. The son I conceived had my eyes, and his hair." She sighed. "He was beautiful."_

 _Benny stumbled back, and the girl with an orange streak frowned darkly. "But it faded. He was crazy. I died. Then relived. Then was trapped. And my_ own son..."

 _She stopped. "No more than that."_

 _Benny shook his head. "What do you want from me? Miss. Robbie said that if you never did bad to someone else, they have no right to do bad to you -"_

 _The girl grabbed his neck, and Benny could hear his mother scream in terror. "Not what I did. What_ they _did."_

 _Benny looked at his fearful family, and she laughed. "Has mommy ever told you about witches, Benjamin? She must've told you they were evil,"_

 _She grinned. "But no one is evil without a purpose."_

 _Benny screamed as the girl dragged her nail across his forehead, digging through his flesh and making a scar. Benny screamed as he felt blood, and she pushed black magic into his chest. Benny felt pain, then blacked out._

 _The girl cackled, dropping the limp boy's body, and disappearing._

 _The mother, the father, and the grandmother broke out of their bindings, and dashed straight to the young boy's unconscious body._

 _A dark scar was forming._

 _"No more waiting." The mother finally said._

 _The father nodded sadly as the grandmother began the brain wiping. "No more waiting."_

 _..._

Blinking. Vision hazy and unclear. His sight opened to lights, and Benny struggled to open his eyes, but when he did, he could decipher the patterns of his ceiling. He looked down at his hands, and he saw that they were rested on top of his bed sheets. He was in his room.

He snuck a glance at the window, and saw that it was covered in snow. He was still in Whitechapel.

Even if he tried to forget, he remembered every second of his vision.

 _'Vision,'_ he thought. _'I'm no Seer, why am I having visions?'_

"You're awake." A voice barely whispered.

Benny must've forgotten that Ethan and Rory were in his room, but it turns out a few more people decided to join them - Sky and his grandma.

Ethan gulped. "You fainted."

Rory finished for him, his voice barely a whisper. "You were out for three hours."

Benny was shocked, worried, and astonished.

"I-I need some fresh air." Benny whispered, seeing the concerned faces of Ethan, Rory, his grandma, and more importantly, Sky.

Sky pushed him lightly onto the bed. Benny groaned. "I think you should stay here, B." Ethan remarked.

"What happened?" Rory asked hoarsely, sounding more nervous than he has ever been. Benny shook his head, shuddering visibly as he pulled his thin blanket over his body. He looked at his grandma in particular.

"I-I saw y-you." He pointed at Evelyn, who paled. Benny didn't know what he was doing - he never shared one of his "visions" before. He didn't want to. But something was just telling him that if he talked, _maybe they'd go away..._

"A girl, with black hair with an orange stripe," Benny shakily continued, "and an endless field."

Benny fought off tears. "And I saw my mom. And my dad," - he pointed at his his grandma again - "and you."

"How long has this been happening?" Evelyn asked nervously.

"It stared before Sky got drunk." The remark was supposed to be humorous, but it was more like a pang of bad memories.

"What did you see?"

Benny shook his head, falling silent once more.

They stood in silence, and Evelyn just have him some coffee. Benny thanked her quietly, and finished the whole cup in one filling. Eventually after, he had fallen back into a deep sleep once again, but definitely more peaceful than before.

Evelyn left silently, leaving Sky and her friends to circle around Benny's bed.

"He just drank coffee," Rory thought aloud, "so why is he sleeping?"

"A reasonable question, Rory." Ethan said. "I kind of don't want to know."

* * *

"I'm, dreaming of a white, Christmas," Sky hummed as she wrapped her presents. "Just like the ones I used to know..."

It was the night of Benny's Christmas party, meaning it was Christmas Eve - and she was preparing everything she would need for her present. She had asked Evelyn to make sure Benny doesn't go into the basement, and Evelyn even offered to fix it up for her. It was beautiful, and she knew he would love it.

She had dressed up for the occasion - a beautiful, red knitted dress, and leggings.

But when she saw Benny at her front door, wearing a light up Christmas sweater with a reindeer on it, she didn't know what to think.

"Didn't I tell you?" Benny smirked. "It was my year to choose the theme for the Christmas party."

X~*~X

"I really hate this theme, Benny." Sky mumbled. Benny laughed as he wrapped his fuzzy sweater arm around Sky. She wore a bright red "ugly Christmas sweater", that had a huge Christmas tree on it. As with Benny's, her sweater also lit up like a real Christmas tree.

"Hey, I think 'ugly Christmas sweater' is a grand theme." he said, and Sky nuzzled her head in Benny's shoulder, her Santa hat almost falling off.

"I think you used it ironically."

"...yeah, I did."

Sky laughed, and Benny rolled his eyes. "I tried, you know? I bought Christmas sweaters for everyone, and I literally just ran to everyone's house to deliver them. Of course, I sent Rory to fly Sarah and Erica's ugly Christmas sweaters, because he offered to 'fly with them' to the party."

Sky nodded. "Sounds like Rory, to be honest."

Benny smiled as he watched the snow fall onto the ground, the two spellmasters surrounded in a white blizzard.

"This is beautiful." Benny looked around, and then his eyes fell on his girlfriend. "But to be honest, there is only one more beautiful thing out her tonight."

Sky laughed. "I swear to god, you corny spellmaster."

But she locked eyes with her boyfriend and hugged him a bit. "Goddammit, I can't believe I fell in love with you."

"You just got lucky, let's be real."

"Shut up," Sky said between laughter.

They arrived in front of Benny's house, and Sky frowned.

"Wait, why did you pick me up?" Sky questioned. "I could've walked."

"Well...I love you."

"Good enough."

And so they went in to Benny's house, both excited to share their Christmas gifts.

Sky was excited for the special surprise that Evelyn helped with in the basement...

...and Benny was excited to reveal to Sky the velvet box in his jean pockets.

X~*~X

Bing Crosby's voice echoed throughout the Weir residence, and the whole place was littered with spots of hazy lights, and people dancing around the fireplace and the Christmas tree, every one of them, a smile on their face, and an ugly Christmas sweater on their chests.

"Great party, Benny!" Rory said happily, toasting glasses with his best friend. Benny grinned. "Thanks, man. I am glad you are a good sport about the _ironic_ ugly Christmas sweaters," - Benny looked to see Sky coming along, and smirked - "unlike _some people._ "

Sky seemed to know what Benny was talking about because she punched Benny in the arm with a smirk. "Shut up, will you?"

Evelyn suddenly came along, wearing her own festive jumper as she looked at Sky and smiled warmly. Sky beamed, nodded her gratitude, and pulled Benny away from the Christmas party they were having.

"Where are we going?" Benny asked, "And what sort of agreement do you have with my grandma?"

Sky smiled as he pulled him down into the basement, and presented him with what only surprised Benny. His jaw dropped as he looked at the sight that he saw right in front of his emerald eyes.

"Do you like it?" Sky squeaked.

Benny was at a loss for words - he was greeted with fairy lights, traced along the walls of the of the basement walls like vines. Cold December Night by _Michael Buble_ played on the stereo behind them, and a table, covered in a white cloth, was in the middle. There rested a candle stick, and two meals.

"Did you do this?" Benny whispered, looking around as the fairy lights twinkled with his ugly Christmas sweater.

"Your grandma helped me," Sky blushed.

Benny's smile grew and he hugged Sky tightly, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and he bowed his head in Sky's shoulder - height had always been one to attempt at ruining special, romantic moments.

"Thank you," he whispered, "This is the nicest thing anybody has ever done for me."

Sky giggled. "I am your girlfriend, after all, B. I signed up to do stuff like this."

Benny dragged her to dance around their table, the song switching to Phantom Of The Opera's _Prima Donna._

"Prima Donna?"

"What's wrong with that song?" She didn't seem to realize what was happening, her being lost in the moment.

"...it's _Christmas_ , Sky."

"Oh," Sky giggled, waltzing all the way to restart her playlist. "Christmas playlists don't last forever, you know?"

Benny laughed, and his stomach growled upon seeing the food that was in front of them. "Don't tell me Grandma cooked as well, because if she did, you might want to get a barf bag or something just in case it's one of her 'specials'..."

Sky's eyes widened and she punched Benny in the arm. "Benny, that's your _grandma_ you're talking about."

Benny rolled his eyes as he and Sky took their seats, eating their noodles.

"I did make it. The meal, I mean."

"No wonder it's delicious."

Sky smirked, and they continued to eat their meal that consisted of noodles - attempting the 'Lady and the Tramp' scenario was quite difficult - and some pork that Sky had seasoned perfectly. And of course, things would've not been complete without Sky's special Christmas cookies and hot chocolate.

"Mmm," Benny moaned, and Sky smiled.

"I am taking you like it?" she asked.

"Love it, like I love you." Benny replied, and Sky blushed.

"Oh, stop it, you." she giggled, and Benny stood up and went on one knee.

"I am being serious, Sky," Sky's eyes widened at the swift motion, and Benny took out a small, velvet box from his jacket pocket and propped it open in one short move. Sky's pupils reflected with light.

In the box was a small, simple, silver ring, that bore the infinity symbol on it. Sky looked at Benny with teary eyes as he took it out, set it aside, and slipped it on Sky's ring finger with a wide grin that Sky fell in love with the day she had met him.

"We are too young to get married," Benny whispered, "but I promise you, Skylar Alexandra Bryans, that I will be by your side for all of eternity. Will you accept my plead of promise that I present to you this Christmas, Sky? Do you promise to -"

"Yes." Sky cut him off, pulling him of the ground and kissed him, pulling his Christmas sweater a bit as music played quietly in the background, letting their kiss intensify with passion and love. Sky's new ring glittered in the light.

She pulled away a bit, lips barely touching. "You had me going with the 'proposal'."

"One day," Benny smiled. "I promise."

* * *

 _12:00 am; Christmas Day_

Talia groaned at the Christmas music that was muffled by her door. They were having a Christmas party two rooms down in the hospital, and even if it was _midnight,_ the parties raged on like a firestorm of joy and happiness.

Talia hated the holidays,  
unless she got gifts.

She knew she was getting one tonight, so she hastily tapped her finger against the edge of her hospital bed to the beat of 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' and hummed along to the sounds of laughter and dancing feet that echoed the halls of the hospital.

The door suddenly creaked open, and Talia lifted her eyes, a piece of jet black hair brushing against her forehead.

"Merry Christmas, _bitch._ " Talia cackled as the stranger sat down beside her.

"What on _earth_ are you wearing?"

"...I had a Christmas party."

"Of course." Talia laughed, looking at him. "And I assume the that you were the one to choose the theme?"

"Shut up." Benny gritted out through his teeth, his fingers clenching into a fist. "I can go right now and leave you to rot in here."

Talia rolled her eyes as she motioned him to lean in closer. He did.

"Now lemme see my gift." Talia purred, and with a growl, Benny took a small gift out of his pocket, wrapped with gold paper and threaded with silver string that radiated the moon's light off its shiny surface. Talia twirled it around her fingers.

"Even got it wrapped. Quality stuff, huh, Weir? Maybe I won't make fun of your wrapping skills and your family-less position."

Benny bit his lip to stop from screaming. Talia smirked as she opened the gift with a mischievous smile.

Inside the wrapping paper was a box, and inside that box was a vial that shone bright yellow.

"Will this heal me? Completely?"

"It'll fix your bones and get you out of this place without anyone ever knowing." He paused to add, "I went through hell to get that potion, you know? Finding ingredients is a hard task to do, especially since you know it's for your _enemy._ "

Talia laughed as she drank the potion. As soon as it hit her tongue, she felt a fire in her body. But the fire was good - reliving, actually.

Benny watched in awe as he saw a ripple of yellow buzz out of Talia and into the hospital corridors. He knew what was happening. He was glad it was working.

Talia was able to get out of the bed with ease, her fangs gleaming as Benny passed her a pair of jeans and a hoodie. She slipped them on, taking off her hospital dress. Benny didn't dare to look at what was unfolding - he didn't want to.

"Where'd you get the clothes?"

"...you don't need to know."

Talia saw the guilt in the spellmaster's eyes. "You _stole_ them?" Her fangs glistened as she slipped into the hoodie.

Benny grimaced. "Just a simple brain wipe spell and some hacking. All good."

"You're evil, and I like it," Talia purred, leaning against Benny's lit-up chest. He growled, pushing her away.

"Don't touch me." he hissed, and Talia nodded.

"Will do."

Benny sighed. "The spell removed all documents of your stay here, and the memory of you of anyone in this place except for me and you."

"Complicated spell." Talia checked her nails. "Took me a while to perfect that one."

"I am sure of it."

Talia slung her arm around Benny's shoulder as they freely walked out of the hospital, no one questioning why.

"I think we're a great team."

" _Shut up, Talia_."

Benny and Talia walked out, into the damp forest that loomed behind the hospital.

"Where are we going?" Benny whispered.

Talia smiled. "My hideout."

Benny rose an eyebrow - this was getting to intimate for him - but followed the jet black haired girl anyway into the darkness of the forest, the only thing lighting up was his ugly Christmas sweater. He couldn't believe his eyes when he got to the heart of the forest.

"Shit." he mumbled.

Beyond his eyes was a cascade of lights, draped between trees. A tree house sat in the middle of two trees, and there were computers and other gadgets in plain view - Benny didn't ask how they worked with no plug; he knew they just _would._

"Welcome," Talia extended her arms. "to my hideout."

* * *

 _ **Seasons Greetings, and may the good Lord be with you always.**_

 ** _Save some leftovers for me, will you?_**

 ** _Yours truly,_**

 ** _TiredOfBeingNice xx_**


	6. Fly Me To The Moon

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **It's been a while, huh? I mean, I haven't written MBAV since last year, if you get what I mean ;)**

 **HAPPY 2016 GUYS! Oh god, we made it. We survived 2015. Now all that is in the past, it's time to be making some new memories! That sounds awfully cheesy, but you know what I mean, right? 2015 was a great year, but now that it's 2016, I am determined to continue writing for MBAV, to finish what I started, and maybe start writing for more fandoms (aka Web Shows, ha ha, yeah.)**

 **But enough of that; The Friends Series! Wow. This is going on a spiral of mysteries, huh? Talia, Benny, Benny's secret past, and more plots. I am quite proud of where this is going, because things are just going to go up from here, if you know what I mean ;)**

 **I actually changed the chapters a lot, so if you read my bonus sneak peek of More Than Friends in Tropical Friends, the chapter order has changed significantly. Nothing drastic, I just changed the chapters around to make it more convenient for me and the plot. The only thing that was a bit drastic is that I cut two chapters from the story (If you must know, it was 'To Die Or Not To Die', which was originally going to be about a haunted play, but I decided to move it to Magic Friends. The chapter I cut was one of the chapters in the three part season finale. I thought that having three chapters as a finale is unnecessary, considering there is already an epilogue. So it's now a two part season finale, and an epilogue.). So now the story is at 15 chapters. But other than that, I switched around the order of the chapters. I won't tell you what it is, but I just thought you should know it has changed :)**

 **This chapter is exactly what it is called; Fly Me To The Moon. No, we are not going to a Frank Sinatra tribute show. We're going to space! Before you say anything, this is kind of unrealistic and absurd to put in this story, but trust me when I say this; it's going to be important. I promise.**

 **Shoutouts to...**

 **MBAV fan66- Sweaters make me itchy too, therefore I don't where them much. But I do appreciate some good, ironic, ugly Christmas sweaters. And I guess that things are to be revealed soon, fanfic buddy! Soon :) And hmm...I wonder what _would_ happen if Sky found out? Not very good things, huh? But nonetheless, here is a new chapter to quench your curiosity! Thanks for reviewing, fanfic buddy :)**

 **Willowleaf the Jedi- Oh, he's not on drugs. But if curiosity were drugs, I guess he'd be on that then, huh? :P All I have to say is that stuff is getting intense, and I hope you are going to be a part of that crazy ride! Thanks for the review :)**

 **MBAVFOREVER- I know! Besky for life. I am very happy that you are enjoying the story; that is pretty much all I could ever ask for, to be honest. But yes. Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year as well :) Thanks for the review :)**

 **So without further ado, let's begin this, shall we?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV or its characters; just this plot, Sky Bryans, and anyone else you may not recognize from the franchise.**

 **P.S- Can we just pretend there's a NASA station near Whitechapel? Please and thanks :P**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 6: Fly Me To The Moon

* * *

Sky packed her bag, smiling. She was in her room, and listening to The Killers on her phone. There wasn't a patch of carpet in her room that was not littered in sunlight, and she honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

She hummed to 'Somebody Told Me' as she threw in her textbook and slung it over her shoulder. Making sure that she had her glasses, she exited her room, said goodbye to her parents, and walked out into the cold, January breeze.

Today was going to be a good day.

"Sky, Sky, Sky, Sky, Sky, Sky, Sky, Sky, SKY!"

Sky turned around to see Ethan literally speeding to get to her side. Sky nodded as she jumped in excitement as well, wrapping the brown haired Seer into a tight hug. Ethan nearly span her around in excitement as he actually squealed.

"Ohmigosh, I can't believe the day is here." she said excitingly.

Ethan bobbed his head, walking alongside the blonde spellmaster. "I can't believe now is the day that we are going to an actual _space station._ "

"I haven't seen you fanboy this much since Mega Dixie Super Racer came out, and it starred your favorite blonde character; Eliza Holiday."

Ethan blushed. "Hey, it wasn't because she was hot, it's because her power ups were quite impressive."

"Whatever you say, Morgan." Sky giggled, and after constant chatter, finally reached the front of the school.

They caught glimpse of Rory, who excitingly sped to them, and a bus. Seniors were lining up to get in, handing in permission forms. Some looked tired, as if they didn't get enough sleep, or didn't want to go in general. There were the people who were on their phone, looking bored of what was happening. And then there were the nerds and geeks, who looked as if they were going to wet themselves just waiting, or explode with theories.

"I heard we even get to go inside the control room!" Rory said animatedly. "Maybe we might even get to go in the zero gravity room too!"

"Hopefully we will actually be in zero gravity, and not be spun around by some jacked guy like in the other space station." Sky shuddered at the memory of their school's previous attempt at getting the students into space travel.

"I just wished they would hold this in the summer." Ethan complained, shivering. "With our luck, the NASA station probably froze over."

Sky laughed, but when she looked at her phone, which had vibrated in her jacket pocket, her smile faded.

"Who is it?" Rory asked curiously, taking note of Sky's frown. Sky blinked, not looking up.

"Benny." she said bluntly.

"What'd he say?" Ethan asked. Rory frowned.

"Where is he, anyway?" Rory added.

Sky sighed, opening the conversation, and looking at the texts that Benny had sent her recently.

 _To: Sky_

 _From: Benny_

 _8:23 am_

 _I'm not going to make it to the NASA trip :( I hope you have fun though :/_

"I can't believe it." Sky said in disbelief, looking up at her friends.

"What?" Rory asked.

Sky sighed, tempted to shut her phone down. "He said that he won't be able to go with us on the trip!"

Ethan's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? Benny and I have been dreaming of this moment since we were seven! What could be so important that he would blow off this opportunity to finally be able to experience what we had been thinking of for years?"

"I'm going to find out." Sky grumbled, numb fingers typing a message.

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _8:25 am_

 _What do you mean you aren't going to make it? Babe, E told me you've been thinking of this for years._

Benny replied an obnoxious two minutes later.

 _To: Sky_

 _From: Benny_

 _8:27 am_

 _Look, I'm sorry, it's just that something came up, and I can't make it. Trust me, I really want to go, but I have no choice._

Sky was on the verge of frustrated tears.

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _8:28 am_

 _Benjamin Weir, you have been acting off for the last few days. I mean, we didn't even get to see each other on New Year's._

This time, Benny replied right on that minute.

 _To: Sky_

 _From: Benny_

 _8:28 am_

 _Sky, I'm sorry, it's just that things are...complicated right now.  
_

Ethan and Rory nervously exchanged looks upon seeing Sky furiously typing a fury-related rant on her phone.

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _8:30 am_

 _What, so complicated that you can't even tell me? Look, Benny, I'm worried about you. You have been so distant lately, and I really want you to come with us. It would at least prove to me that you are actually okay. Remember, B, that you are the most important thing in my life right now, and will be for a long time, I know it. What I am saying is that I care about you. What could be so bad that you'll keep it from me? You aren't cheating on me, are you?_

It took a few minutes before Benny replied again.

 _To: Sky_

 _From: Benny_

 _8:33 am_

 _I'm not cheating. I promise._

Sky closed her eyes for a brief second, clearly stressed, before replying.

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _8:34 am_

 _Then what is it, Benny? You can tell me anything. You know that._

Benny replied in the same minute, and Sky could hear the frustration in his words.

 _To: Sky_

 _From: Benny_

 _8:34 am_

 _Just take some pictures for me if you can, and don't get hurt in the zero gravity room._

Sky's eyes widened in annoyance; was Benny blowing her off?

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _8:34 am_

 _Benny, you better answer me._

A minute passed, and there was no answer.

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _8:35 am_

 _Dammit, Benny, answer._

"Sky, are you okay?" Ethan asked upon seeing Sky red in the face. Sky didn't reply to Ethan's concerns as she furiously texted Benny more and more, spamming him, thinking he'd answer. Still, there was no response from the blonde spellmaster.

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _8:36 am_

 _Benny, if you don't respond in the next minute, I'm calling you._

A minute passed again, and Sky furiously kept her promise, calling Benny as soon as she could.

Unfortunately, she went to his voicemail. She angrily yelled in frustration, calling him again. The only thing her ears could hear was the happy voice of Benny, and the ukulele music playing in the background.

"Goddammit!" Sky cursed, nearly slamming her phone.

Ethan went to her side, rubbing her shoulders. "Sky, Sky, calm down. Benny must have a good reason if he can't make it to this trip. You just need to be a little more understanding, Sky. Just trust him on this one."

Rory bobbed his head with a smile. "Yeah! I know Benny! He always has a reason."

Sky just sighed, bowing her head down as she just nodded.

"Sky, in a relationship, the one thing you should have is trust. And I know you and Benny have that more than anyone I know."

Rory grinned. "You also have a lot of patience."

Sky rolled her eyes, her frown curving into a small smile. "I hope we stop by a Lotta Latte or something. I could use a coffee."

"This is going to be the best trip ever!" Ethan cheered.

* * *

"This is the worst trip ever." Ethan grumbled lowly, and Sky nodded, sipping her coffee, bored.

It turns out the only thing they were doing was just taking a rather boring tour around the space station, not going into any rooms, and not being able to interact with anything at all. To make matters worse, their tour guide looked as if she wanted to swallow herself whole. She looked so bored, and was boring. It was like she wasn't even interested in what they were doing.

"I can't believe _this_ is what I paid twenty bucks for." Rory mumbled in fury. "I swear it's like the space station is ran on children's boredom."

"At least Benny isn't missing out on much." Sky whispered infuriatingly, and Ethan rose an eyebrow.

"You have been thinking of Benny this whole trip. Just give it up; he couldn't go." Ethan snapped,

Ethan didn't mean for it to be so rude when it came out, but it couldn't be taken back. Sky, however, appreciated it. She sighed, shaking her head.

"I know, and for that, I'm sorry." she said, not making any eye contact with Ethan. "It's just that I want to know why Benny blew us off. After the 'fight that should not be named', he usually tells me everything, and I as well. What could be so important that he'd have to keep a secret?"

"As I said, just trust him." said Ethan. "If he is hiding something, it can't be so bad that he wouldn't tell you. I know Benny; he wouldn't keep big secrets from you."

Rory nodded, patting Sky's back. "Plus, he's the worst liar ever. I doubt he'd be able to keep a secret for that long without telling one of us, anyway."

"That's what you think." Sky mumbled, quiet enough for Rory and Ethan to hear. They exchanged looks, but their conversation was cut off by the monotone voiced tour guide, who stopped at a glass door. Her face didn't change as she looked at her clipboard.

"Okay, now you all get to go in the anti-gravity room." she said boringly.

Rory's eyes widened. "Now that's what I am talking about!"

His cheers were silenced by teachers, and Sky and Ethan exchanged happy looks.

Unfortunately, their happiness was short lived, as the tour guide made them all stand in a straight line and pulled out a rack of heavy equipment.

"First of all, you are going one at a time, to make sure you won't bump into each other in the padded room. As well as you won't be able to talk, due to these." She pointed at the suits. Ethan, Rory and Sky traded looks of sadness. The tour guide continued.

"Then we will put you in this space equipment to ensure your safety and make sure you are the most comfortable you could ever be." She sounded scripted, like she memorized a book and was forced to recite it.

"That will take an hour to put on and off." Sky said in shock.

"That doesn't even look remotely comfortable." Ethan complained.

"And then each of you will have five minutes in the anti-gravity room. Line up in an orderly fashion, and no phones."

Everyone groaned, and Ethan cocked his neck forward.

" _Five minutes?"_ He tried his best to make sure that his voice wasn't heard.

"We're in the back of the line, and that is not even worth it if I have to go alone." Sky grumbled.

Rory crossed his arms. "Remind me not to work in NASA." He paused. "Unless I get to meet Wall-E. Then I'll reconsider."

Sky and Ethan rolled their eyes, and they sighed, looking around the dull place. Rory's eyes landed on a door that said something that certainly caught his eye. He nudged Sky and Ethan, and pointed at the steel door.

"Guys, look!" Rory squealed. Ethan and Sky stared at the door, and when they stared back at Rory, Sky shook her head quickly.

"Uh, no, Rory. We are not going in there." Rory pouted.

"But _come on,_ guys! It is an important room! Look!" He tapped the door quickly. "It's even _steel!_ "

Ethan shook his head as well. "Rory, it's probably steel for a reason."

"Besides," Sky said, "it clearly says that it is _'not available to the public'._ "

Ethan nodded in agreement. "They could be hiding experiments in there, or whatever NASA is keeping from us. Whatever it is, I'm sure it is not something ready for the hands of this society; especially when people like Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus are leading it."

Sky rose her hand for a high-five, and Ethan laughed. Pouting, Rory reached for the handle, and it opened with ease. Ethan and Sky's eyes widened in fear.

"If it is _so important,"_ Rory threw his hands around dramatically. _"_ tell me _why_ the door is not locked?" The logic made Sky sweat.

"They must've forgotten to lock it." she said, smiling nervously. Ethan helped by tapping his head, biting his lip. Rory shook his head.

"Uh, nuh-uh!" Rory said, sticking his tongue.

"Uh, yuh-huh." Ethan said. "We are not going in there."

Rory placed his hands on his hips. " _Oh yeah?"_ he challenged. "Try and stop me!"

Without warning, Rory flung the door open and snuck in. Ethan's cocked his head forward.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, immediately dodging out of the shuffling line and going in the room to get Rory. Sky frantically looked around, and raising her eyes to the ceiling as she made sure no one was watching, and snuck into the room as well.

When they went in, they were greeted with a dark room with tons of buttons and control panels, along with railings that led to the top floors hanging on the ceiling. In the middle was a profound white entryway, that was square-ish.

"Oh god," Rory mumbled. "Is this...a _space shuttle?_ "

Ethan jogged up beside the blonde vampire, and Sky went to Ethan's side. Her eyes widened at the sight. "Holy cats, I think it is."

Ethan did a mini jump in the air. Sky gave him a raised eyebrow, and Ethan's smile never faded.

"Okay, we've seen it. Awesome white box they keep in here. _Let's go._ " she said in a hurried rush, tugging on Rory's sleeve before Rory shrugged it off, heading towards the small door on the space shuttle, making a beeline towards it.

"No way!" Rory said in excitement. "We have to see inside it."

Ethan snapped out of his fangirling trance to be reasonably logical. "I don't think that is the best idea, Rory."

Sky looked over at Ethan with disbelief. "That will _never_ be the best idea."

But they could do nothing to stop the vampire as he climbed inside. Ethan and Sky exchanged looks, and Ethan bolted after his friend, slightly excited. Sky said a silent prayer, and followed them inside the shuttle.

There were two seats, and it was slightly cramped. There were multiple monitors, and there was a glass window in the front of the seats, along with a huge control panel. Outside the window was what looked like a landing area, along with a takeoff area.

"Oh, cool!" Rory said in excitement.

Sky nodded enthusiastically, looking behind her to make sure no one was coming. "Yeah, it's a super cool room with buttons and windows. Satisfied? Awesome. Let's go before someone catches us in here."

Rory ignored her, and Ethan looked at Sky. "I know you are in ' _buzzkill mode', " -_ He put air quotations above his head, and Sky rolled her eyes. - "but I'm sure you find this at least a little exciting, right? We are in a _space shuttle._ "

Sky sighed. "I guess I'm a little star-struck, but I just don't want to screw up anything and -"

Without warning, the door behind Sky and Ethan closed, and a buzzing sound came from the front. Ethan and Sky looked at each other in fear as they turned around, gasping upon seeing Rory's widened eyes, and his body leaning on the control panel.

"Oops!" Rory said meekly. "I-It, uh, appears my _butt_ has activated the shuttle!"

Sky's jaw dropped as Rory scratched the back of his neck, lifting bits of hair nervously. Things began to vibrate, and without warning, Ethan, Rory and Sky were thrown to the front of the shuttle, watching as the takeoff area sped out of view, and clouds floated past them. Eventually they saw a purple void they only knew as space.

Rory scratched his head, biting his lip. "Er...honest mistake, right?"

"We're heading into space, oh my god, oh my god." Ethan dashed to the seat, and Sky sat beside him in the chair next to him.

"I am so sorry," Rory mumbled, cradling himself in a corner. Sky heard the sadness in his voice and sighed, turning back to Rory and looked at him.

"It's okay, Rory." she reassured. "We'll make it back, I promise."

"We're in space." Ethan said slowly, and Sky looked outside the glass window. Rory stood up to look as well, and they were greeted with the stars and empty void people called space. Rory's eyes widened in shock, and Sky smiled.

"It's actually kind of cool. Not anti-climatic at all." Sky said with a grin.

Ethan nodded, but frowned at the same time. "Wait, if we're in space, shouldn't we be in zero gravity?"

Rory's arm started to float up, and his eyes widened. "Oh my god... _zero gravity!"_

Sky narrowed her eyes. "Rory, that's just you lifting your arm, pretending to be in zero gravity. None of us are experience anti-gravity right now, and you definitely know that."

Rory dropped his arm, and wiggled it around. Ethan rolled his eyes, which were still glued to the window, and Rory just smiled meekly. "Oh. You're probably right. I can still move my arm. Heh."

Sky nodded as Rory stood in the middle of the two chairs, arms on the back of the seats. "So what's the plan?"

"Easy." Ethan said. "I'm going to fly this bad boy home."

"What if it's a girl?" Rory asked, but both teens just ignored the question.

"Do you even know how to fly this shuttle, Ethan? No offence, but I kind of don't wan to crash into asteroids or something." Sky said nervously, fiddling with her thumbs as Ethan brushed the brown hair out of his eye, narrowing his eyes determinedly.

"Don't worry, Sky." Ethan said reassuringly. "I have been studying all of these buttons since I was a kid."

Ethan pressed a few buttons, and suddenly their shuttle turned around, and Earth was in view. Sky and Rory exchanged glances, and then Rory patted Ethan's back with a wide grin on his face.

"Wow!" he exclaimed. "You weren't lying, huh?"

"Nope." Ethan said with smirk.

Suddenly, a static-y voice emerged from the shuttle's speakers.

 **"LEFT ENGINE FAIL."**

Sky's eyes darted toward Ethan. "Ethan? What does it mean when the left engine fails?"

Ethan looked nervously at her. "I think that means are left engine isn't working."

"What do you mean the left engine isn't working?!" Rory panicked. "Does that mean we'll start turning right a bunch of times in a circle? Does that mean we'll dive straight forward into an asteroid or something?"

Sky looked at Rory. "Not helping."

Ethan gritted his teeth, determined. "I can still bring it back. I can bring this baby home."

 **"RIGHT ENGINE FAIL."**

"THAT DOES NOT SOUND GOOD." Rory shouted.

"Shit, shit, _shit."_ Ethan mumbled, checking a few monitors behind him.

"Ethan, if the left engine is failing, doesn't that mean that both engines are not working? What the hell does that mean?" Sky started to sweat as Ethan tried pressing a little more buttons on the

 **"ALL ENGINES FAIL."**

"We know!" Rory wailed, particularly to the speakers. "We're screwed!"

Ethan's mind went at a hundred miles an hour as he looked at the control panel. Sky gripped to the arms of the seat as she tried to remain calm. She fumbled to get her phone - which wasn't floating, which caused her to be more confused than she already was - and, tears in her eyes, sent a final text to Benny.

 _To: Benny_

 _From: Sky_

 _2:13 pm_

 _Babe, I love you, and if this is actually my last message, I really love you. I am in space, and I don't even know if you'll fucking get this, but Benjamin Weir, I want to marry you. I always wanted to marry you, so if I do make it back, I will graciously hold you in my arms. I love you. I love you._

She wearily pressed 'send' and watched as the message miraculously sent.

 _'Why did it send if we're in_ space? _'_ Sky thought.

"Did you send your loved one a text too?" Rory said wearily.

Sky nodded, and Rory hugged her. "I sent one to Erica, and sent one to Sarah for Ethan."

"I can't believe we're gonna die." Sky mumbled, hands on her face. "After everything we went through, we're gonna die in _space._ "

"Best ending I could ever ask for in my undead life." Rory said sadly.

"A-ha!" Ethan exclaimed, nearly jumping in his seat. Sky looked at Ethan frantically.

"What is it?!" Rory said, running hands through his hair frustratingly.

"If I try and get an extra boost from one of the features on the control panel, I may be able to get enough speed to actually be able to re-enter the earth's atmosphere without blowing us up completely."*

"WHAT?!" Rory screamed over the noise. Sky was still curled in a ball, crying, as Ethan narrowed his eye.

"Time to go back home." he said with a smile.

He pressed a button, and it was as if the shuttle were spinning. Rory and Sky screamed like school girls. Ethan gripped onto the controls, grasping onto the steering wheel and turning left. The shuttle shifted left, and Sky miraculously saw clouds.

"W-We're home." Sky mumbled, and laughed. "Benny is going to think I've went insane when he read the text."

When they officially landed, Ethan stood up shakily to be attacked by hugs from Rory and Sky.

"Oh my god, Ethan, thank you!" Sky squealed. "I am so sorry I was such a flop!"

"You weren't a flop." Ethan blushed. "You're welcome."

"I'll take responsibility for all this." Rory said with a shaken smile. "It was my fault it happened, and I know -"

The door behind them opened, and when they all rushed out nervously, they were shocked to see their teacher, classmates, the tour guide, and someone who looked like a _general._

"There you guys are." The general gruffly spoke.

"HE DID IT!" Sky and Rory both pointed at Ethan, who looked at them in shock.

The general marched up to Ethan, and leaned forward, as if he was observing him. Ethan squeaked, and leaned back a little, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Sky sighed, looking at the general with fear in her eyes. She stared at Rory, and he groaned.

"A-Actually, sir, this was my fault." Rory stammered.

"It was kind of both our faults," Sky meekly smiled. "but Ethan was the one who got us back."

"I should be mad at you," The general sneered, and Ethan winced. But the general smiled roughly.

"Though I don't think I ever seen someone work a simulator as good as you, young sir...or Ethan."

Ethan blushed. "Aw, thanks, I-I have been studying ever one of these buttons for as long as I could remember...wait did you just say _simulator_?" Ethan's eyes couldn't physically grow any larger than they already were.

"As in not real?" Rory squeaked.

The general actually laughed. "You didn't think you were really in space, did you?"

"No!" Ethan and Sky said in unison.

"Very much, yes." Rory said at the same time, and they all looked at each other, nervously grinning.

"Otherwise, I think you'd be a great addition to the junior space program this summer to help our young space cadets. If you work hard enough, young man," The general smiled, as if thinking of something wonderful. "you may just go to space for real!"

Ethan couldn't feel more faint. "T-Thank you sir." He whipped his hand to his forehead, saluting the general. "I accept."

"You don't have to do that."

"A-Alright."

When the general left, the teachers just cheered instead of giving them a detention.

"Astronaut Ethan sounds great, you know?" Sky said with a giggle.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Talia whispered, leading Benny inside her little tree house among the forest. "Nice, huh?"

"It's...impressive." Benny said hesitantly, before Talia beamed.

"I'm glad you like it." Talia said, checking her black painted nails. "It took a while for me to get this whole thing together, you know? Excessive amounts of effort to get that magic from far distances to steal all these fairy lights."

Benny growled. "I should've known your beauty came at a price."

Talia laughed as she just sat in the middle of the tree house with a sigh.

"You know, it's been a while since anyone came here." Benny's gaze flickered towards her. "It's usually a bit lonely up here. Most of the time, I just stay here, in the middle of this three house, using all these monitors to watch your every move..."

Benny rolled his eyes. "Wow. Just when I thought it was getting a bit sentimental."

Talia looked up at Benny and sighed. "Thank you, Benny. For coming."

Benny could actually hear the sincerity in her voice as he dropped his defenses. "Um...you're welcome. I mean, I guess car accidents usually hit close to home for me, and I suppose you are an exception, especially since you haven't killed me yet."

Talia smiled. " _Yet,_ "

"Don't even go there, Talia."

"Relax, Weir. Sentimental moment, remember?" Talia chuckled to herself, standing up as she went to check her monitors.

Suddenly, she felt the room spin, and her vision grow blurry. Images popped in her mind, and she felt herself stumble.

Benny stood up in a rush. "Talia? Are you -"

His words were cut out of her mind when the image intensified -

...

 _"Ew," An eight year old boy with piercing blue eyes stated. "you're my mom?"_

 _The nine year old girl with an orange streak nodded. "Yes, I'm your mom."_

 _"Why the hell do you look like...that?"_

 _"I possessed a nine year old, you fool. I planned on using this disguise so you can fall for me and I could finally get my revenge on you and your father by finally killing you. Unfortunately, I pissed off some crazy troll and he took my Oblivion powers."_

 _"You still have your Oblivion powers?" The boy asked. "I thought Dad took your powers, which then went to me when he died?"_

 _"I still had half." The girl said proudly. "That's all I really needed."_

 _The boy nodded, and the girl sighed. "I need to get them back, so you have to get me out."_

 _"You are one crazy bitch."_

 _"Young man, I may look 9, but I am still your mother, so wash your mouth with soap."_

 _The eight year old boy crossed his arms. "How do I know you aren't tricking me?"_

 _The girl groaned as Mark sighed. "Besides, your 'revenge' is half way done; Dad died."_

 _"Really?" The girl said, frown growing into a smile. "Now who let that happen?"_

 _"My half-brother's mother." The boy growled._

 _"Well, get me out, and I'll help you kill her." she compromised._

 _The boy's eyes glistened in mischief, and he went out at once. The girl smiled to herself; this was supposed to be a trap so she could finally kill her evil son and let herself rest in peace, but little did she know things were going to go a little downhill._

 _The boy returned with the orb containing her powers, and when the girl absorbed them, she smiled. The boy let her out, and just before she was to use her powers to kill him, the boy placed his hand on her forehead, and she screamed in agony._

 _"You know I have the gift of truth," The boy smiled wickedly. "I knew you were tricking me all along."_

 _When the girl reclaimed herself, she looked at the boy in front of her, mind void to revengeful thoughts._

 _"Who are you?" she asked curiously._

 _The boy snickered. "The person who'll help you defeat the Weirs once and for all."_

 _The girl smiled evilly, and her memories of grudges against her son and his father disappeared in a thin pile of smoke._

 _..._

Talia fell forward, and Benny, his reflexes not failing him, caught her in a rush. Talia landed in his arms, her black hair dripping back. Benny's eyes widened as he pulled the dazed girl back on her feet with a small frown.

"What happened to you?" he asked, trying not to sound as concerned as Talia would think.

"I-I don't know." Talia stammered. "They started happening when I got hit by that red car..."

Benny's eyes widened. "You get visions as well?"

Talia's eyes widened, as memories started flowing through her.

"Wait, m-my grudge...i-it...Peterson."

Benny's eyes widened at the familiar name.

"Peterson?" He turned to Talia. "You don't mean Mar-"

"Tsk, tsk." A voice emerged from behind them, and Talia turned around to see a figure hiding in shadows.

" _You!_ " she hissed. "When you released me... _you did something!"_

"Who are you?" Benny asked.

The voice was muffled by a static voice, leaving the voice almost unrecognizable. "Someone who has a little something to do."

Talia screamed as the figure extended a long, skinny, pale arm and grabbed Talia.

"I'M SORRY BENNY!" she screamed, trying to pull her arm away. "TO YOUR FAMILY, TO YOUR FRIENDS, _TO YOU!_ I'M SOR -"

Benny watched in horror as Talia was pulled into the shadows and out of the tree house. He yelped in surprise as all the fairy lights in the forest flickered off. Benny blindly scrambled to his feet, looking around. The whole hideout was consumed in darkness, but the monitors were buzzing in static.

"I never thought I'd ever say this," Benny said slowly. "b-but Talia, it'd be great if you came out right now."

Something snapped above him, and Benny watched as a large, unrecognizable item came dropping out of thin air. Benny caught glance of a snapped rope, and looked down to see a painted red X below his feet.

His eyes widened, and the last thing he saw was the item collided with his head, feeling heavy against his skull, and making him pass out onto the wooden panels of the tree house, his eyes shut closed.

The monitors behind him flickered to life, and revealed a pale Talia on the right monitor, and a face that was clouded by shadows on the left monitor.

"Feeling better?" The shadow said lowly, voice indecipherable. The figure looked at the right monitor. Talia's eyes on the monitor looked down, as if observing the limp body on the ground, and smiled, looking over to her left, with a wide, pearly smile.

"Much better." she answered.

* * *

"Rory, are you okay?!" Erica said upon seeing Rory, Ethan and Sky enter the school. Students were chanting Ethan's name, and Ethan proudly strutted through the halls. It was after school, and the seniors were getting their stuff. High school for freshmen, sophomores and juniors was just ending, but upon reading the text Rory sent her, Erica and Sarah dashed to the school as soon as possible.

"Ethie, I heard you are going to be an astronaut!" Sarah squealed. Ethan nodded, and Sarah kissed him. His eyes were dazed, and he looked bewildered.

"Where did you hear that?"

Sky rose her hand meekly. "Um, me. I texted her."

Ethan nodded, and Sky sighed, telling Erica and Sarah what had happened.

"I can't believe I didn't think of it being a simulator before." Sky said with a laugh. "We weren't in zero gravity, and my phone could still send a chaotic text. Plus both engines just failed on us right away, so it was kind of obvious."

Sarah giggled. "Don't worry, Sky. I think if I thought I was in space, I'd panic too."

"Speaking of which," Erica turned around, looking at Sky. "where's Benny?"

At the sound of his name, Sky paled. "Where _is_ Benny?"

The lights in the halls suddenly shut off, and they could hear the panicked screams of freshmen. Rory nearly jumped into Erica's arms - to which she responded with a groan - and the monitor in the front foyer flickered to life.

"What the -" Sarah mumbled.

"I knew we came here at the wrong time." Erica murmured at the same time.

The monitor showed a static-y video of someone tied up in a room, and...

"Talia?" The gang shouted in unison.

"I have him, _Team V._ " she said with an evil smile. "And I have your school."

Three gunshots fired in the halls, and Sky swore she has never been more terrified for her life.

The gang jumped onto the ground, covering their heads. They heard sirens and teachers screaming for authority, but the only thing they could hear was the panicked yells of students. Ethan saw the paled face of Sky.

"She has Benny."

* * *

 **A/N- *I just made up a solution, if you are looking to become an astronaut, do NOT follow those directions, because that will not bring you back into the Earth's atmosphere. I am pretty sure that if you lose both engines, you're screwed :/**

 **Next chapter is called 'Shooting Stars' for reasons ;)**

 **Drop a review, and thanks for reading!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	7. Shooting Stars

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Before I get on to the chapter, I think I need to tell you something about the last chapter; _I made a mistake._**

 ***everyone gasps, and one girl faints, in which I send paramedics to make sure she is alright.***

 **Alright, it wasn't a _huge_ mistake - I am beginning to think I actually meant to slip it in there - but I don't think I am going to tell you that mistake because I think the bigger mistake is this: _The Shadow._**

 **Before you go up on my grill saying "TOBN, WHAT DO YOU MEAN?", I think I am going to have to tell you a logical answer.**

 **So when I first began Best Friends, I had the idea of a Halloween Update, because I thought "Hey, let's be seasonal!". It was a good idea, and then I came up with the antagonist of this episode should be a bullied girl named Talia Baxter.**

 **But it started to spiral. At the end of that episode, I wrote that she - or at least, a _shadow_ of some sorts - _returned._ And thus I created the Shadow; a non-complex thing I thought would make the series interesting. It did, which I am very glad for. **

**Then I knew you began to figure it out. So I added someone else, and I guess thing is, I made a mistake of making it so complex - I have at least 1000 words of plot only belonging to the Shadow, and a lot of notebook pages on its origins as well - and I thought I actually took on more than I could handle.**

 **...until, however, I _could_ handle it. **

**(plot twist!)**

 **I think plot gaps will happen, because I suck at writing, and _this is a work of fiction,_ aka " _will probably not be remembered."_ (warning in advance). But it's alright, you know? I think, somehow, this "mistake" made this series a little more interesting. I know there will be a satisfying ending, and I think you will be ****happy with it as I think it'll answer most your questions**

 **I decided, before I'll get on with the actual author's note for this chapter, I will say something that Scott Cawthon (creator of Five Night's At Freddy's) once said:**

 **"The truth is, that after a while, lore can become so dense that there isn't room for a story anymore...Sometimes the timeline gets so full, that the only way is to have it be set in a different timeline."**

 **There you have it. I don't think I'll say anything else (don't focus on the 'different timeline' part, because I mostly just wanted to say something about the lore of this story, and not when it's set; just an FYI) and get on with the chapter, because this is already almost 500 words of Author's Notes.**

 **Anyway, for this chapter, it is called 'Shooting Stars' for reasons indeed. I don't think I want to spoil the episode in this author's note, but it takes place straight after the ending of the last episode. It also focuses on the feelings more than the action, but action is just the best, isn't it? By the way, do you feel yourself spinning? I definitely do. I am very excited for this, actually :)**

 **Shoutouts to...**

 **Willowleaf the Jedi- Ayyyy! Glad you get it, my friend ;) And theories are theories, am I right? I am glad you are enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writing it. I am sad that I can't update as fast as I usually do, but things come on (aka, school) if you know what I mean. I am glad you are patient, and loving the story. For that, I thank you :) Thanks for your review :)**

 **MBAV fan66- No aliens. I think that is a story for another day, my friend ;) And, as I said to Willowleaf, theories are theories. Yours is...something, that's for sure. I am excited to unravel the story to you guys as soon as I can, because I have so many people who just want to figure it all out. Hopefully you'll understand the wait ;) Anyway, thanks for your review as always (since the beginning, which makes me very happy :D) fanfic buddy :)**

 **So with that, I present to you Episode 7: Shooting Stars.**

 **(and yes, that is a Glee reference; you might have a good idea about what's going to happen now, huh?)**

 **I own nothing but Sky, original characters you don't recognize,and the plot :)**

 **ENJOY!**

 ***Dedicated to all those affected in the school shootings that has ever happened. I am not remotely joking when I say that I hope all goes well for you and your family. I hope God helps you find your way. RIP all those who had died because of these cruel happenings. It's a waste of human life, and I, even if I am a small fragment of society, hope you find your peace.**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 7: Shooting Stars

* * *

"What does she mean when she says ' _I have your school'_?!" Rory shouts, panicking.

Sky says nothing as she sees a dark figure cross a corner, holding what seemed to be a long, black gun in its left hand. Her eyes grow larger as she spots a storage room and drags her friends inside, promptly locking the door and looking in the crack below it. "What do we do?" Rory yelled, and Ethan rushed a hand to the vampire's mouth, stifling his cries. They couldn't see anything beyond the crack in the door; a bright light blinded it.

Ethan reached to call 911 on his phone, but a gunshot stopped him.

" _I dare you to call 911._ " Talia said. _"I fucking dare you."_

"Oh my god, oh my god, _we're going to die!"_ Rory wailed.

"Shh!" Ethan hissed. "We don't want them hearing you."

Rory nodded, and Ethan lowers his hand wearily, massaging his temple. Erica wraps her hand around Rory's shoulder, patting it softly.

"Ethan's right, babe." Erica whispered. "You just...you just never know."

Rory said nothing more, and Sky looked wearily at the outside. She still couldn't see anything, other than bloody tiles. She felt a stab of pain, and she looked down at her wrist to see that one of her old scars had reopened.

Thinking of Benny, she began to cry.

* * *

Benny was introduced to the light a few seconds later, and he blinked widely.

His groans of pain were stifled behind the gag that was on his mouth, but when he looked around wearily, he was able to see a girl, with long, black hair, in a black jumpsuit, monitoring every move. He was able to see the hallways, the cafeteria, and a bunch of students running for their lives. Some managed to escape, but as far as they knew, their doors were locked and blocked with henchmen - _vampires,_ to be more exact.

Blood splattered the floor he was sitting on, and he tried to move; his hands were bound together, and his knees were up, ankles tied. His hair was a mess; he could see it reflecting off a small mirror in the room - they were in the basement, now that he looked a little closer - and a purple bruise formed on his forehead. He couldn't remember much, aside from the fact that he was with Talia.

Benny whimpered, and that was when the voice spoke up.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." The voice said, and Benny's tired eyes widened at the sound of her voice.

"Mmph!" Benny squirmed, trying to break free, and Talia just turned around, a smile wickedly drawn on her face .

"Yes, Benjamin," Talia smirked. "it's _me._ "

She walked over to Benny, and tapped his cheek softly - though the touch felt cold and hard.

"How was your slumber? I'm sure _he_ made sure that the slumber was peaceful, wasn't it? I hope so. I truly hope so."

Benny managed to lift his knee to Talia's shins, giving them a swift kick. Talia grunted, but then her fangs popped out, eyes glowing yellow. She sent a slap to Benny's cheek, making him groan in pain. A non-reassuring sound came from the movement, and Talia stood up, smiling.

"Nice try, Weir." Talia blinked. "You have one swift kick, though."

Talia paced around the drama room, smiling. "You know, Weir, I am surprised we are at it again. I mean, you are so gullible to think that _I_ was trying to be nice to _you?_ I don't even know if you remember the last time you went to see me _alone."_

There were tears in Benny's eyes, and since he couldn't wipe them away, Talia just laughed darkly at them.

"You're pathetic." Talia held up a shot gun, and shot it at the wall above Benny's head, nearly grazing his hair. He yelped behind his gag, screaming against the cloth. The bullet missed him by a few inches, drilling into the wall. The bullet didn't come back.

Benny was crying; he needed _Sky,_ and no one else.

"Oh, relax, Weir." Talia blew the end of her gun. "I only get to shoot the prize at the end."

Benny fainted in his spot, and Talia started to laugh again, facing her attention to the kids in the strange room.

The fun she'd have; _'Shame I have to share it with someone else.'_

* * *

The light cleared in the window of the door, and Sky saw tiles of blood. She cried even harder.

"Don't cry, Sky." Ethan said, rubbing Sky's shoulder. "He's fine. He's strong, so he is fine wherever he is, or whoever he's with."

Sky nodded, but said nothing more as she stood up, peeking through the shattered window of the door before turning the knob slightly open. Sarah looked at Sky as if she were crazy, grabbing Sky's shoulder as soon as she stood up.

"Are you kidding me?!" Sarah hissed, fangs showing without her realizing.

Sky looked rather annoyed. "What?"

"You're going to go out there? While there is a crazy shooter in the halls? You can't."

"Sarah, I have to." Sky said, turning on her heel to face the tanned-skin vampire. "I have to, because Benny is out there - _god knows where -_ and he is probably all alone, looking for us as well. I need to go, I need to go for him -"

"And what?!" Sarah cut her off. "And put us all in danger?"

"I'll go alone if I have to!" Sky screamed, tears sticking to her cheeks; wet.

"At least think it through, dammit!" Sarah yelled. "If you are going to go do something stupid, at least think it over before you do it stupidly as well."

"Can't you at least find hope, Sarah?!"

"You're risking our lives - the lives of five - for the lives of _one!?_ He is not the main priority right now, Sky, and he won't be until we have a plan -"

" _Don't talk about him as if he were useless!"_

The screams lowered, and Sarah cowered back, almost scared at Sky's harsh tone. Sky backed up as well, hand trembling on the door knob. Rory finally stood up, and before Sky could scream at him to shut up unless he was coming with her, he silently pointed to something in the back corner.

Ethan stood up as well, along with Erica, and they looked in the direction that Rory was pointing at.

"What is, it, Rory -" Erica started, clearly getting annoyed under the stress of the situation. Rory placed a hand on Erica's mouth. Erica's eyes narrowed towards the blonde, trying to say something, but Rory just looked up.

"Look," he whispered, and that's when Sky saw it.

A camera, buried behind tools and books, was blinking.

"She's watching." Rory said quietly, and Ethan looked at his friends in a worried rush.

"I think we're going to have to go," - Sarah shot an accusing glance at Ethan, opening her mouth to protest before Ethan cut her off - " _whether we want to or not._ "

"I-I'm sorry, S-Sarah." Sky stammered. "I-I...am worried about him."

"It's fine." Sarah's voice cracked. "I understand. I shouldn't have flipped out."

Sarah hugged the younger girl tightly, making Sky smile. Erica clapped her hands, and Rory took his hand off her mouth when he felt fangs brushing against his fingers.

"Alright, enough with the reunion." Erica smiled. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Benny was awake, again, but he wished he wasn't; he had to deal with Talia's teases and suffer her torture - he prayed to _God_ he'd go unconscious.

"Shame these monitors are black and white." she said, flipping through the monitors. Benny prayed all the students were in their classrooms, safe, but seeing the dead bodies littered in the halls gave him no hope. "I would've loved to see the blood on the ground.

Benny wanted to puke; she was _disgusting._ Why did he trust her? She could've been in the hospital still.

Talia saw his reaction, and continued to tease him. "Shame these monitors don't track sound," Talia said with a sigh, turning to Benny. "I would've _loved_ to hear the screams of those pitiful students, you know?" Talia paused, before briefly adding, "I also would've loved to hear what your little slutty girlfriend has to say...or cry, in this case, because she's been doing an awful lot of it -"

Benny screamed, "I dare you to say that again, you mother fucking _bastard!_ Call my girlfriend slutty one more time, and I _kill you here, and now!"_ and stood up, marching over to try and hit her in the face.

Or at least, he tried; everything he said came out as pathetic, stifled cries, and everything he did was just acts of struggle.

"Calm down, _magic man,"_ Talia snickered. "I was just kidding around."

Benny made a noise that sounded more like a pouting kid, and Talia just bit her lip, smiling evilly.

"You're evil." The words came out as "e-phul" instead, stifled together by strangled breaths. Talia smiled at Benny, and gave him a smug look.

"Anybody can be _evil_ _,_ Mr. Weir;" The words rolled off her tongue. " _nobody is just as evil as they are good."_

Benny was silent - _'God,'_ Talia thinks darkly _'for once. The whore has been screaming for the last hour. I thought it was a good idea to use a gag -_ and Talia continued, twirling the shotgun between her fingers.

"There is just enough evil in the world as there are good, because _there is both in every person in the world._ " Talia stated, smiling. "There is also a fine line that separates 'good' from 'nice', and 'evil' from 'bad.'. I am _good,_ Benjamin, but I am not _nice._ I am _evil,_ I'll give you that, but that doesn't mean I'm _bad."_

Benny continued to listen; he couldn't do much more.

"I am mad, by the way. I am also mad, but that has different concepts to someone see, doesn't it?I'm not completely _crazy,_ I promise, I'm just... _angry._ "

Benny didn't want to listen anymore. He tried to close his eyes, trying to block her out; _sleep._

"You can't block me out, Weir" Talia hissed, storming up Benny with a pearly grin. "The reason why I am telling you this is to show you how I _identify myself._ Yes, it is also to bore you until you decide to kill yourself," - Benny wants to. He's growing _mad,_ and screams in his mind, _'Kill me! Give me the gun and kill me!" - "_ but it also teaches you a lesson, does it not? Your _shadow_ identifies you. It identifies me as well; my shadow identifies that I'm _crazy._ "

Talia leaned close to Benny's ear, yanking his hair tightly.

" _Remember that, Weir."_ Talia whispered. "It may save you, or cost your life to _me._ "

She yanked Benny's head back into the bloody wall, and Benny's brain pounded against his skull.

His eyes saw blurry movement on the monitors, and he made the tragic mistake of letting Talia see him look at the monitors. Talia rose her eyebrow, noting the spellmaster's curiosity, and turned around to see the door to the storage room wide open, a single headband left in the corner.

Benny grinned; _'The headband belongs to you, Sky. Thank you, thank you.'_

"Where are they?!" she screamed, and it nearly shattered Benny's ears - how could no one hear her?

She flipped between each monitor, and as she flipped back to to the camera surveillance of the storage room, she saw something that made Benny grin.

Sky stood there, black and white, holding up a white piece of paper that was scribbled with marker.

 _"I'M COMING, B."_

She then stuck the middle finger at the camera, stuck out her tongue, and the last thing they saw was sparkles coming from her fingertips.

Static.

Benny smirked behind his gag, and it never faded when Talia shot the mirror out of fury, hearing the bullet drop on the tiles over her scream of rage.

* * *

"If Talia is sending us these messages _and_ keeping Benny hostage," Ethan inquired as they walked down the halls, "then _who's shooting?_ "

Another gunshot rang, as if to tell Ethan to stop snooping around where he shouldn't be, and the gang flew to the ground, covering their heads. Ethan looked wearily at everyone else, smudging his fingers in the dry blood.

"Never mind." he muttered. "I guess she doesn't want me to question her abilities."

Sarah stood up, brushing the dust off her jeans. "The school seems so much more bigger than it actually is." Sarah pondered, and Erica nodded, turning around to observe where they were.

"I don't even remember if this class even exists." she says, about to touch it when the speakers crackle to life, releasing a raspy voice.

 _"If I were you, I would be careful what you touched around here,"_ Talia's voice said mischievously. _"One of these doors holds the key to the true reality of the school. One of these doors will lead you to the real layout of this place."_

The gang exchanged looks. _"And the rest of these doors are one-way tickets to the Oblivion."_

Talia's cackle rung in their ears before one of the speakers in the hallways blew.

Everyone looked at Sky, whose fingertips were sparking. She looked at them, blushed embarrassedly, and the sparks disappeared.

"What?" she asked, biting her lip nervously. "I do that when I get anxious."

Everyone nodded, and Ethan frowned, the words that Talia had said echoing in his mind.

"What does she mean by 'one of these doors holds the key to the true reality of the school'?"

Sky snapped her fingers. "Multi-pocket dimensions is the term she is trying to explain."

Rory frowned. "How do you fit a bunch of dimensions in your pocket? Do they dissolve, or...?"

"Shut up, Rory." Erica muttered, rolling her eyes. Rory pouted, but Erica sighed, kissing his cheek to make him perk up with a smile, as well as shutting him up promptly so Sky could explain what she was thinking to the group.

"When Benny's grandma trapped us in those pocket-dimensions, we weren't in the school, but a _different version of the school,_ explaining the fact that no one in actual WC High could see us, because we were in another pocket dimension."

"Your point is?" Sarah asked.

"My point is that if it is true what she said, we could be in a pocket dimension _within_ a pocket dimension, and the doors that are supposed to be in the original layout of the school lead us to the actual school, where the actual shooting was happening. I propose we go through the whole school and try to find doors we recognize, and keep going until we get to the actual school, save Benny, and shut this thing down."

"So," Rory grinned, " _pocket-dimension-inception?"_

Everyone groaned, and Ethan paced the floors.

"Okay, that explains that, but who is shooting us? If the actual shooter is in the school, and Talia is controlling the monitors, along with ."

"Unless Talia _isn't here._ " Ethan prompts. "And she's using something that is important to us to communicate with us. Like how I had to use Benny's underwear to communicate with him, or how I had to use Sky's necklace to communicate with her."

"Does it specify that it has to be inanimate?" Rory suddenly blurts out. "She has Benny, I'm sure she had to make contact with Benny to get him to where he is. Does that mean she's using Benny to communicate with us?"

"Rory makes a good point." Erica tapped her foot on the ground. "Benny has some sort of emotional value to each one of us; he is our friend, and he is Sky's boyfriend - though I don't know how that happened exactly."

Sky stuck out her tongue, and Erica smirked.

"That would mean that Benny is the person that Talia is getting us from." Rory crinkled his nose. "I don't even _want_ to know how that works."

Rory shuddered, and Sky tried to push away the thought as well.

"So Talia isn't actually here," Sarah concluded, "which means that there isn't an actual shooting at the school?"

"Makes sense." Sky thought aloud. "There was a light in the door for a while, which could've been the process in which Talia could've sent us to the pocket dimension that we're in. I think that's why we couldn't see anything - we were literally in a _nothingness."_

Ethan nodded. "Plus, Talia could've just faked the screams of the teachers and the gunshots to lure us into the storage room. That figure with the gun could've been another trick that Talia set up so I could lead you all to the room. Talia could've just tricked us all. To add to that, students and teachers probably are leaving the school to get their stuff and go, since we had that field trip to NASA -" 

"Which was actually so awesome." Rory interrupted.

" - so the school should be empty -"

"- which is the perfect time to strike." Sky finished off, and Ethan nodded.

"A good question to conclude this off is," Sarah bit the bottom of her lip."who is the person trying to shoot us here?"

"I don't know." Sky said. "Benny's grandma sent people who we fear in our dimension, but I know it doesn't necessarily have to be someone we fear. It could be anyone. Like how Stern was able to go to Ethan's dimension and try and blast him with electrical balls."

Rory stifled his laughs at the last word, and the emphasis Sky put on it. Erica punched him lightly in the shoulder, and Rory shut up promptly.

"So she just sent someone random here to shoot us," Sarah groaned, " _great._ "

"It will be even greater once we get out of here." Sky smirked. "Lucky for you, I memorized the school layout."

With Sky to lead the way, the gang went through doors to get to the next dimension. A few laters, they finally got to the last door, which would lead them all to the real layout of the school.

"Alright," Sky said with a grin, "let's go -"

Suddenly, they were stopped by the sound of a gun shot. They turned around to see a black silhouette of a person, holding what seemed to be a slick, black pistol. He lowered the gun to meet Sky's eye, and aimed for the gang.

In a rush, Sky flung the door open, seeing the original layout of the empty school. It was completely empty, and she ushered her friends through the door.

A loud gunshot wailed, and Sky quickly went through the door as well, shutting it before anything could happen.

The figure growled, walking up to where the bullet landed on the ground. He missed - he knew that - but judging by the blood on the golden bullet, he hadn't missed completely.

" **They're gone."** The figure muttered.

 _"You couldn't stop them, could you?"_

 **"Don't speak to me like that. I have authority, remember?"**

 _"...whatever. It couldn't be stopped. I'll leave the douche's boyfriend outside the basement, and I'm leaving. Fuck you."_

The figure rolled his eyes. **"So be it."**

With that, he fizzled out - it would be so lucky to the gang if he fizzled out of existence, wouldn't it, he thought to himself with a smirk.

* * *

Sky winced, and Scarlet dabbed her arm lightly.

"You're lucky the bullet only grazed you," Scarlet applied a long bandage on Sky's right arm, covering her red wound. "if it had went in your arm, I don't know what could've happened, or what I could've done to stop it. I don't expert in bullet wounds, y'know, so don't go around getting shot -"

"Enough, Scarlet," Benny moaned, pressing the ice pack against his head. "I don't want to hear anything else about if anyone - especially my girlfriend - gets shot."

Sky smiled fondly, and Erica rolled her eyes, to which Sarah gave her a light jab.

"You're just lucky I was here cleaning out my medicine cabinet." Scarlet sucked on her bottom lip, smirking at them. "Or else Benny would've been unconscious until he died, or Sky would've bled out."

 _"Shut up, Scarlet."_ Benny shuddered at the thought, and Scarlet threw Sky and Benny a lollipop.

"But I was here," she smiled. "and now I can treat you all for some tacos."

"Haven't hear that in a while," Ethan said with a grin. "so tacos it is."

"Tacos for the win, baby!" Rory yelled triumphantly as they all walked out. "So worth almost getting shot in pocket-dimension-inception like places!"

Everyone started yelling at Rory for bringing it back, but Sky and Benny stayed behind.

Benny grabbed Sky's hand. "I'm glad you're safe. I don't think I could live with the fact that I was alone, and you were getting hunted. It would've been worse if you actually died -"

He choked on the words, but Sky just rested her head on his shoulders.

"Don't," she whispered. "I love you too much to think about that."

"Alright." he said at last.

The thoughts about the last few days - especially Talia - floated in his mind.

 _'Should I tell her?'_ Benny argued to his conscious, _'She might be at risk if I do. Talia wouldn't want that getting out, would she? Unless that's exactly what she wants...'_

"Love you too." Benny made his decision; no risks.

* * *

 _"What connection do you have with him?"_

 **"Who, the spellmaster?"**

 _"Well, yeah. I assume you must have an emotional connection with him. If you didn't, you would've not been able to communicate with me at all."_

 **"I guess you're right, huh? Never thought about it."**

 _"So what is it? Hate?"_

 **"...probably."**

 _"..."_

 **"..."**

 _"..."_

"... **I kind of have to love him though. Pretty sure that is a rule."**

 _"A rule?"_

 **"...more like the most normal thing to do with the kind of relationship I have with him."**

* * *

 **A/N- I hope you liked that one - I worked my ass of trying to explain it. Forgive me for plot gaps - read my Author's Note above; there will probably be plot gaps (though I will try and avoid it.)**

 **Drop a review, and I hope you are excited - next chapter will get a little _wet._ (And no, Sky and Benny are not having sex again.)**

 **(That's for later.)**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	8. Mermaid's Tail

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with the eight chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Wow, it's been a while. If you want to know where I've been, and what the plan is for the** **future, please read my new one shot 'The Only Exception', where I explain how I went MIA in a 500 word Author's Note :P I just don't want to explain that again.**

 **But I am beginning to write again. Slowly but surely. So I decided to start with this one, because I love the Friends Series; it's good to remind yourself of where you came from, and what your origins were, right? I know I'm right :P**

 **Anyway, so I said this chapter is going to be a bit "wet", and not in the sexual way. Turns out, a few people in this universe are going to the beach to get a little splash in the water! I mean, I know it's February. I think that makes this a little more interesting, don't you think ;)**

 **Shoutouts to the one and only...**

 **MBAV fan66- I guess you would be, huh? I mean, I would be very stressed out if I was stuck in a storage room. I hate being in closed spaces. It's not like I'm claustrophobic (though if I am, it wouldn't be a surprise, lol :P) And yeah! You're right! That is the title of the chapter :P Though I was referencing to Glee, but I mean, your explanation is right as well. I hope you have a great time...reading this chapter...? Jokes!**

 **Anyway, I love you all, and drop a review! It'd make my day :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing from the MBAV universe, including characters. I own Sky, though, and these plots. I hope you enjoy them as much as I love writing them!**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 8: Mermaid's Tail

* * *

"Why are we out on the _beach_ in the middle of the coldest February Whitechapel has ever had?" Erica huffed, her breath forming swirls of cold air. "Like, seriously. Please remind me before I turn into a popsicle stick."

Erica, Sarah and Sky were on the local beach, shivering in the cold. While it was sunny, and there wasn't much snow on the ground, it was still at freezing temperatures. The water was ice cold, and nobody was enjoying the beach. Not in this weather.

"I left my notebook here earlier this month," Sky explained, "and I want to find it."

"Why were you here in February?" Sarah questioned. "It's pretty cold out here."

"It was, but it wasn't at the start of the month." Sky said, smiling. "It was so warm, so I just decided to stop by here and write a little. It was nice; I stayed for a while, wrote about what I saw, and left. It was so late, and I forgot my notebook."

"What's so special about the notebook, anyway?" Erica smirked. "Is there some things we should know about?"

Sky blushed. "N-no. Nothing."

Sarah rolled her eyes as she looked at the rocks surrounding them. "Well, it looks like there is nothing here. I don't think you'll be able to find it, Sky. It would be almost impossible. Maybe somebody took it and gave it to the lost and found or something."

Erica wiggled her eyebrows. "Maybe we should check with the lifeguard."

Sarah punched Erica on the arm lightly, giggling. "Erica, you are in a committed relationship. You are practically a married woman."

It was time for Erica to blush, and Sky stifled her laugh in her sleeve.

They continued to search around for a while before Sky sighed, sitting down on a rather cold rock.

"It's no use." Sky said sadly. "I guess I'm going to have to find myself a new notebook."

"N-Notebook? Is this notebook blue and w-white?"

Sky perked up at the voice, and she turned around to see a girl, sitting on a rock. She was pale and had blonde hair with several blue streaks in them, along eyes of lavender. She had nothing on but a purple bra. A necklace laid on her chest. Sky rose an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" She went up to the girl. "You look like you're freezing."

"And waiting for a date." Erica muttered, her glance travelling to the bra. "Some girls are so desperate."

Sarah nudged her, and the girl just nodded shakily.

"I-I'm freezing," Her teeth chattered. "a-and I seemed to have lost my shirt."

Erica stifled a laugh, but a stern look from Sky made her shut up.

"Maybe you should come home with us," Sky said nervously. "I honestly don't like the idea of you staying out here. It's probably below zero, and you look as if you were going to turn into a human ice block. Come on, we'll help you up."

Sky extended a hand, as if showing her that it was alright. The girl just shook her hand instead.

"I c-can stand o-on my own, thanks." She paused, before looking at Sky shyly. "But can you grab my necklace? I think I want you to have it. Think of it as a...thank you."

Sky looked at Sarah and Erica, who just shrugged, and nodded with a smile. "Of course. Thank you."

Sky took the necklace off the girl's chest, and smiled, examining it. It was the shape of a shell, and it glistened against the sunlight. It turns out the necklace was also a locket, and had a beautiful design inside, while a little bit was caved in, so you could put something inside. The string that held it together was wet and green. She noticed a piece of blonde hair sticking out of the locket - it must be from when she was taking it off. But Sky didn't bother; she put the strand of hair in the locket and looked at the girl and smiled.

"I love it." Sky mumbled. "It's like art!"

"By any chance can we have your name...?" Sarah trailed off, feeling a bit uneasy about the girl.

The girl smiled kindly. "I'm Atlantis."

Erica widened her eyes in a sarcastic way.

"Atlantis, huh?" she smirked. "Parents liked the ocean?"

The girl lowered her eyes. "I guess you can say that."

Sky nodded as Atlantis widened her eyes.

"Oh! I f-forgot to give you this." The girl pulled out something from behind her back, her legs still hidden behind the rock she sat on. When she faced Sky again, she was holding Sky's white and blue notebook, bounded with string. Sky smiled widely.

"Oh god, thank you so much." She took the notebook and hugged it. "I was worried I'd never see it again."

"I found it by the shore." Atlantis whispered. "I thought I should keep it."

Atlantis paused before adding, "You have a lovely voice, by the way."

Sky looked at her incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you sing earlier in the month," Atlantis admitted. "You were singing a song. I don't know what it was, but it was beautiful. You faced the moonlight while you sat on the rock, and your notebook was on your lap. You looked magical...like..."

Atlantis smiled. "Like a perfect mermaid."

A moment of silence filled the air before Sky blushed a deep scarlet. "Um, thanks."

"You should wear the necklace." Atlantis blurted out. "I think it would look nice on you."

"Maybe we should get you to a warm place first -"

"It's fine!" she squeaked. "I'd very much like to see the necklace on you first."

Sky looked a bit weirded out, but nodded anyway, hanging the necklace on her chest. Atlantis widened her eyes as a bright light seemed to radiate off the necklace, and Sky touched it in some sort of wonder and worry.

"A-Atlantis?" Sky stuttered. Sarah and Erica tried to grab Sky out of the light, but it seemed as if Sky was trapped with Atlantis in an invisible force field. Sky looked at Atlantis, fear in her eyes as Atlantis cackled over the light.

"Fool!" she hissed, throwing herself over the rock.

To her surprise, Sky saw no legs, but a _tail._

"A _mermaid?"_ Sarah screamed, and Erica quickly dialed the rest of their friends, telling them quickly about the situation.

"Yup!" Atlantis cackled, as the scales on her pink tail started to shimmer. Sky started too feel lightheaded, but managed to hear the words that Atlantis began to say.

"I was waiting for a human _foolish_ enough to wear the necklace that kept my legs stuck in a damn fish tail!" Atlantis smiled evilly. "And now the day has come! I will finally be able to walk these lands, and steal everything you ever desired!"

Her legs became numb, and the last thing that Sky heard were the screams of a familiar voice.

* * *

Benny paced the beach. It had been an hour since Sky had been knocked out by Atlantis, and a long hour it had been; they constantly checked for a pulse, and, although it was a faint one, they always found one. But Benny's mind raced; next time they checked, it could be different. It might not be there at all.

"Benny, your pacing is going to be the end of me." Erica muttered.

Benny snapped. "Okay, Erica, how about you let Rory turn into a merman. See how you feel!"

Astonished by his anger, they decided to leave him be until things turned out a bit better.

Suddenly, Sky began to open her eyes again, blinking widely as she let the light pour down on her. Benny was the first to rush to her side, holding her head up as he watched her chest go up and down. He smiled wearily.

"Hey."

"H-Hey." Sky stammered. "What happened?"

She rubbed her head, her eyes travelling down to reveal that she no longer had any feet, but, instead, had a _tail._

She shrieked, nearly flopping off the rock as Benny caught her before she could fall. She squirmed in his arms, but Benny calmed her down. He looked at his friends, who just shrugged. Benny tried to relax her, but she was clearly freaking out.

"What the hell?!" she screamed. "Why do I have a tail?! Where is Atlantis?!"

"We tried to get her," Ethan explained, "but she seemed to have disappeared."

"What _possessed_ you to trust a girl you've never met?" Benny muttered quietly. "It could've been worse, Sky. She could've been somebody else. She could've been a murderer of all sorts; I don't understand. After everything we've been through -"

"I was trying to be _civil,_ alright?" Sky snapped. "I don't need your fucking negative behavior."

Benny quieted down as Erica paced the snowy sand.

"How are you not cold?" Rory shivered underneath his jacket.

"I dunno," Sky whispered, not making eye contact with Benny. "I guess being a mermaid has its perks?"

"So she was never really cold, then." Sarah said disappointingly. "So this she just tricked us."

"I knew we should've not trusted the girl with the flat boobs," Erica muttered annoyingly. Everyone looked at her, and Erica just shrugged, her breath forming swirls in the cold air. "I know from experience to never trust girls with plastic boobs."

"So I shouldn't trust you?"

"Benny, my boobs are authentic, thank you very much."

"Yeah, I should know."

"Rory, we don't have to talk about that, okay!"

"Everybody stop getting off topic and help!" Sky interrupted their argument. Benny smirked, and Erica just rolled her eyes. Rory remained clueless, beginning to talk animatedly about some show that was completely irrelevant to the situation, other than the fact the show had mermaids in it.

"So what do we do?" Sky asked, flopping her tail around. "This isn't exactly the best situation to be in at the moment."

"Can't you just take the necklace off?" Rory suggested. "I'm honestly too cold to deal with the supernatural today. Can't we just have a coffee break or something?"

"I can go for coffee..." Erica trailed off.

" _Guys,_ " Sky complained, "focus!"

"She's right." Benny said, looking at her. "I don't know how bad it'd be if Sky stayed as a mermaid forever."

"Yeah, you'd miss out on everything ' _downstairs',_ if you catch my drift." Rory wiggled his eyebrows. Sky and Benny blushed, and Ethan tried to stifle his laughs under his breath.

"To answer your question, Rory, I don't think we can just 'take off the necklace'. Who knows what would happen. I think we should start with this; what do we know about mermaids?"

"They can swim!" Rory raised his hand and blurted out. Everyone rolled their eyes, and Rory stuck out his tongue.

"Alright," Rory crossed his arm. "then did you know that they have _tails?_ "

Everyone groaned, and Sarah shyly rose her hand.

"Don't mermaids have the power of manipulation?" Sarah prompted. Ethan snapped his fingers, smiling.

"That's true," Ethan said, "so we better be on the look out. Especially those who are weary to hypnotism."

Erica glared at Benny, who elbowed her while blushing. Erica then continued to act as if she were a brainless zombie, which pissed Benny off even more. Erica cackled, and Benny just about had it with his friends that very moment.

"Shut up, Erica." Benny muttered.

"Yes, master." Erica laughed.

Sarah nudged Erica, who eventually ended up letting her laughter die down. Ethan paced the snowy ground, as he looked at the water.

"Alright, and I guess mermaids don't care about what the temperature is, because Sky is not cold at all. Which makes sense, because they are always in the water. So that means that Sky could go in the water at freezing temperatures. But that doesn't mean we can."

"No shit, Sherlock." Erica rolled her eyes.

"My point is," Ethan said with a sigh. "that we should be careful. If anyone lures you to the beach, use all your will power to say 'no'."

"So we know that," Sky said. "and the fact that if Atlantis wears this necklace again, she will turn back into a mermaid, and I will get my legs back."

"Sounds like a Disney movie." Rory pondered. He then lowered his voice to a dramatic one. " _And next on the adventures of Rory Keaner and his friends; the lonely blonde girl wants to get her legs back with the help of her ever loving boyfriend."_

Benny blushed, and Erica snickered. "Sounds like some creepy fanfiction that a fangirl would write in a episode-like series about our adventures."

"Slow down, Erica," Sarah said with a smirk. "you might break the fourth wall."

Sky sighed, wiggling her tail around. "I actually feel a bit lightheaded at the moment - could I get in the water for a while? Just to test out the good ol'...flipper."

"Ouch," Benny placed a hand to his heart. "that joke hurt me right here."

Sky rolled her eyes, and with all his strength, Benny began to lift Sky up. She squealed, and he carried her all the way to the water, bridal style. Erica started to hum a wedding anthem, and Benny managed to let Sky into the water.

She dove right in, not at all affected by the temperature of the water. She opened her eyes and realized that _she could breathe;_ she swam around, admiring all the aspects of the ocean. She let a scream rip from her throat, gleefully getting back up to the surface and smiling at Benny.

"Come on down," Sky winked. "the water is warm!"

* * *

"So is there any way that we can track Atlantis?" Ethan asked.

"Sadly, no." Evelyn responded. "The thing is, Ethan, Atlantis still has mermaid genes; they are just less of them. Since mermaids are half human, the human genes in her body are going to increase in population, before they overcome the mermaid genes. There are more mermaid genes in a mermaid than humans, which makes them this way."

"That means we can't track her using some sort of spell, since she is basically a human." Benny sighed, flopping on the couch. "Great."

"We couldn't even if we tried, honey." Evelyn rubbed Benny's hair. "Even if Atlantis was a mermaid, there could be hundreds of mermaids in Whitechapel. In fact, most of them may be in the ocean at the time, so it would be even harder. And there is no spell to track the specifics..."

"Unless, of course, we have a sample of her DNA, right?" Erica blurted out. "Aren't there any spells to track a specific person using their DNA? A fish or not?"

"Yes, there is." Evelyn stated flatly, as if they discovered nothing new. "But we don't have any DNA samples from Atlantis -"

" - aside from her finger touch!" Rory exclaimed. "Atlantis touched the necklace. Won't her DNA still be there?"

"We can check." Sarah smiled. "With our luck, Sky didn't touch the shell of the necklace, so maybe Atlantis' DNA is still there."

They thanked Evelyn - "It's quite alright, dearies!" she called out as they rushed out. "Just make sure to come back soon; I baked cookies!" - all ran out of the house in their jackets and mitts, and went to the beach, were Sky was still in the water. Benny ran to her first, calling her name, and watched as Sky popped out of the water. She grinned, kissing Benny's cheek.

"Hey, Prince Eric!" Sky said with a smile.

"Hey, Ariel!" Benny responded with a snicker. "How's the water?"

"Awesome!" Sky replied with glee. "The water is actually pretty warm - it's like swimming in an indoor pool! And I've seen so many fishes, just swimming about. Underwater is pretty beautiful. There is a local mermaid colony not too far from here, so I just walked - I mean, _swam_ around the place a little."

"Well, Sky, we were hoping you still have the necklace." Rory frowned. "Though, maybe you probably do, or else you'd turn back into a human. But still! You never know; you might just be a mermaid, like, for real!"

Erica rolled her eyes. "Do you have the necklace, and have you touched the shell?"

"I do," Everybody perked up. Sky's smile turned to a frown. "but unfortunately I have touched the shell. Plus I think a bunch of fish brushed against it."

"Dammit." Benny kicked the snowy sand. "We were going to try and get some DNA from Atlantis to see if we can track her down."

"DNA?" Sky echoed. Benny nodded, and Sky smiled, opening the locket to reveal a strand of loose hair.

"I guess Atlantis tore a little piece of her hair while taking off the necklace. I don't know why, but I thought that it would be cute if I kept it in the locket, as a little memory of what happened. Since I hate this girl to the bone, I guess I don't need it anymore."

"This is perfect!" Ethan said in awe, taking the strand of hair gently and putting it towards the sun to examine it. "Not a single drop of water."

He handed it to Benny, who placed it in the palm of his hand and whispered a spell under his breath. He snapped his fingers, and when he did, the strand of hair on his palm disappeared in a puff of smoke. Benny looked around, and frowned confusingly.

"What happened?" Benny whispered. "The spell should've worked, I should have a map of where she is right now -"

"That's because you used the wrong kind of spell." A voice behind them said. "A spell that doesn't _show,_ but _summons_ , instead."

They turned around to see Atlantis - though she was different than she was when they first saw her; she still had her blue streak, but she wore a purple shirt that matched the bra she was wearing earlier. She had a pink skirt, that was also the same color of her tail before, but instead, she now had two legs.

"Oh honey," Atlantis cupped Benny's chin. "you aren't the smartest fish in the sea."

"Leave him alone!" Sky could feel the heat rushing to her face.

Atlantis laughed. Benny gritted his teeth. "Turn her back into a human. I swear, if you don't, you'll suffer the consequences."

"What consequences?" Atlantis cackled. "Oh honey, now why would I ever want to do that? Especially since little Skylar here gave me some new powers as well!"

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked.

"Well, honey, it goes like this; we basically _switched lives._ That necklace, which was given to me by my father, holds my life. It holds my physical form - in this case, the fact that I'm a mermaid - and my memories. Since I gave it to Miss. Water-Girl over here, she is slowly absorbing what used to be my life, and I am taking hers! Soon, she'll forget about you, and I'll be the new Skylar. You won't even remember her - she'll just be a stranger you met in the water. Since I don't have it, I will still remember my past life, but she won't remember hers, and I will take those memories for myself."

"You're evil." Rory growled dramatically.

Everyone looked at him, before he sheepishly smiled. "People say that over dramatically sometimes; especially in stories. The author always makes the villain explain what is happening to the person in dismay, or explains their evil plan, and then the protagonist always says something like that over-dramatically. Actually, it sounds something from a fanfiction, that's about our lives and how we try and stop you."

Atlantis smirked after a moment of silence. "None of you guys are smart, are you."

"I'm smart!" Rory said defensively. "Everyone in my class calls me a ' _genius'._ "

Erica face palmed, and Atlantis just shook her head.

"Any case, I have powers now. I can do things like this!"

She extended her hand out, and a beam of light shot Sky into the air and onto the beach. Benny screamed her name, and rushed to her side. Atlantis cackled, and Benny crouched beside her, his back facing his friends.

"So," Atlantis cackled. "who wants to see the rest of what I can do?"

She rose her hand to throw another stream of magic before Benny leaped on her back, slipping the necklace he took from Sky onto her neck.

"No!" Atlantis screamed as a bright enveloped her and Sky. "What have you done?! _Do you know what you've done?!"_

"I know what I've done." Benny smirked. "I'm telling you that I just took the necklace from Sky, and put it on your neck, just like the genius hero from a fanfiction would. And now you're going to turn back into a mermaid, which is exactly what I planned!"

Atlantis' scream howled over the light, and sooner or later, Sky's legs had returned, and Atlantis was back to a pink tail.

"You idiots!" Atlantis squeaked in fury. "I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

Benny then ripped the necklace off Atlantis and smashed the shell his foot. Atlantis screamed, and the light went up to Atlantis' forehead, before bursting into a cascade of magic dust. Atlantis began to cry in anger.

"I'll never be human!" Atlantis screeched. "And it's because of _you!"_

She pointed to Sky, and, using her own powers, floated up to her, something sparkly appearing in her hand.

A trident.

"You're going to die," Atlantis growled. "and you'll never sing a song again."

She grabbed Sky by the neck, and a beam of light shot through the pointy end. Sky screamed, and she was blasted into the icy water. Atlantis smirked, and threw herself into the water, both Sky and Atlantis submerged into the waves.

"Sky!" Benny exclaimed. The whole gang watched in horror as no response came. Benny dug through his satchel and pulled out a small dagger. He then began to dive straight into the ice cold water, taking a big breath and diving in.

 _'They say you have three minutes without air,'_ Benny thought to himself. _'Let's see if they're right.'_

They didn't go too far; Benny could see Atlantis, holding Sky by the neck. He could see the sterling blue eyes of Sky, wide open in panic. He started to swim towards her, but was surrounded by walls of fish. Their eyes were red; Atlantis must have them under her control.

Benny hated to do this, but he had to. He began to slice through the walls of fish, watching their bodies fall onto the sand. He managed to break through, the spell breaking and he watched as the fish swam away. Atlantis narrowed her eyes, and Benny pushed against the water to swim towards Atlantis.

She dodged the blow of Benny's dagger, hitting him in the face with her tail. He grunted silently in pain, and watched as Sky fell out of Atlantis' hands. Her eyes were closed.

He took the opportunity to press the dagger against Atlantis' chest.

His eyes told her the message; _'Leave, and nobody gets hurt. Don't come back ever again.'_

" _He promised me legs!_ " Atlantis shrieked as she took the dagger from Benny's hand. Things began to grow blurry, and he watched in shock as Atlantis pressed the dagger to her chest. Blood started to stain the water. "Just _leave!"_

Her eyes closed and her body floated down to the bottom of the ocean. With all the strength he had, he swam to Sky, and got her up to the surface as fast as he could.

When he broke through the water, he took in a huge breath. He panted, and lifted Sky, bridal style, throwing her softly onto the beach. Ethan helped Benny up, letting his arm wrap around his shoulder. He looked over to Sky, and weakly ran to her.

"Sky?" He tapped on her cheek. "Hey, wake up."

Sky's eyes fluttered open, and Benny smiled weakly.

"Hey." she whispered.

* * *

 **A/N- I'm so sorry this ended terribly. But, to be honest, I am quite proud of it. It was a short, boring chapter, but it is a chapter, that's for sure.**

 **'Till next time, drop a review, and thanks for reading!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	9. Mission Not So Impossible: Disco Nation

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here, pumping out the last chapter of More Than Friends before the mid-season special!**

 **Yup, look who is getting back in the swing of things, huh? I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who ever uttered nice words about me, and gave me the encouragement I needed to get along with things, especially 'mariposa de cristal' (muchas gracias, amiga) 'Iggynator' (who I have been talking to for a** **while, and has been a big help), 'Mbavrocks12' (for always chatting with me whenever), 'youre-never-to-old-for-disney' (for being an awesome internet buddy) and, of course, my dearest fanfic buddy, 'MBAV fan66', who has been sticking by my side through the ups and downs of my crazy life. And to anyone I might've missed; you know who you are :)**

 **And I promise this will be the last update for this story for a while; I have a few stories I need to be working on (I swear, if anyone says anything about The Search For Happily Ever After, I'll...cry silently in a corner :P) but I just wanted to squeeze this chapter in because I was so excited for it XD**

 **Think of this as the sequel to a chapter in Ex-Friends called 'Mission Not So Impossible'. I wanted to do this chapter ever since watching _Saturday Night Fever,_ and, admittedly, _Grease_ (though Grease has nothing to do with this chapter.). Yeah, I've been on a John Travolta musical marathon nowadays :P**

 **So this chapter is all about a certain dance that goes by the name 'disco'! Yup, we are going back to the 70's and bell-bottoms, so I hope you are ready for this action-packed, blast from the past from your good, ol' pal, TOBN :P**

 **Shoutouts to the one and only...**

 **MBAV fan66- I'd never get mad at you, fanfic buddy *gives you a bear hug* Anyway, yeah, you're right, that was a pretty easy adventure for them, huh? I guess maybe I wanted to take things easy for them, since this chapter is probably going to be pretty action-packed for them this time. They don't go on a vacation, do they? Anyway, thanks for your review as always, fanfic buddy :)**

 **So drop a review, and I hope you like the chapter. I certainly try my very best to entertain you :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV, or its characters. I don't own any song references I slip in there (primarily the Bee Gees, not gonna lie :P). I just own these plots, and Sky Bryans, my OC. I also own Talia Baxter, who is the antagonist of the story, along with anyone else you don't recognize (i.e. Shark, Mark Peterson, Sky's parents, etc)**

 **ENJOY!**

 **P.S- Thank you Fanfiction . net for having enough space for me to put this title. I really appreciate it, because this title is absolutely everything I could want :P**

 **P.P.S- I realized that this chapter was the exact same chapter as Mission Not So Impossible in Ex-Friends. I didn't even noticed. What a coincidence :P**

 **P.P.P.S- I actually searched all these dance moves. Huh.**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 9: Mission Not So Impossible: Disco Nation

* * *

There was nothing Ethan liked more than singing Bee Gees at midnight while washing the dishes.

His parents were out, and weren't coming back until morning, and Jane was at a sleepover. Since Ethan ate on his own, he ended up cleaning the dishes, and, while he was at it, decided to clean up the kitchen a bit as well.

Now he could've invited Sarah, or his friends over to hang out, but Ethan felt as if he was seeing them too much. It's not like he didn't like seeing his friends, or was tired of seeing their faces; he _loved_ his friends. But during the last couple of adventures that they had, he just felt as if they had never had there time alone.

So that was how he got to this moment; singing along to 'Staying Alive' that was playing on his phone. He danced a little, smiling to himself as he slid across the kitchen floor, singing as loud as he could; he didn't care about his neighbours.

"Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive." Ethan sings, twirling all over the kitchen, and hitting all the high notes as best as his singing ability allowed him to. He bobbed his head to the beat as he scrubbed off the dish until it was sparkling.

"Ah, ah ah, staying alive, ah ah ah ah staying allllliiiiiiivvveeee!" Ethan stretched out the note, really feeling it as he laughed - was he weird? He didn't think he was weird - doing some general disco moves, and trying to walk as cool as John Travolta.

All of the sudden, the lights flickered off. Ethan looked around, clearly curious, as he tried to flick the light switch on and off.

Nothing.

"Dammit, maybe it's the weather." Ethan muttered to himself, the sound of the Bee Gees still ringing in his ears.

He checked the living room, where he was met with a mysterious figure in the middle of the room. The only thing that could be heard between them was the song, and the sounds of their breath.

"W-Who are you?" Ethan whispered, just loud enough for the figure to hear.

The figure just smirked, and his words came out of an indecipherable accent.

"Well, here is someone who _finally_ appreciates my sense of music."

Ethan reached out to try and grab the person. Unfortunately for him, the person was faster than him.

The person stretched their arm out. Ethan could hear words being muttered under his breath, and a streak of light shot from the stranger's hand, and right into Ethan's chest.

Suddenly, the world started to shine unlike Ethan has ever seen before. It was as if he were being blinded by light. He barely had any time to comprehend the situation - the world dimmed out in a sparkle of gold, and Ethan stayed rooted in his place.

The stranger walked around the golden statue of Ethan, admiring every single piece of work that his magic had supplied. He traced his finger down Ethan's now golden shirt, cackling when he tapped against it.

Solid gold.

"A whole new meaning to 'trophy wife', huh?" he joked to himself.

He found a security camera, and said a message to his "friends"; no doubt would they want to check the security cameras to find out what was going on. He knew them so well, so he talked about his plan, almost completely silent, and said goodbye, along with whispering a spell.

The two disappeared in smoke, leaving the Morgan residence completely empty.

* * *

"So he's just... _gone._ " Sky stated as they walked around the Morgan residence.

It was morning, and Mr. and Mrs. Morgan had complained that Ethan wasn't home. Jane found pieces of gold lying on the living room floor, and Evelyn had sensed a strong wave of magic in the house. Now, Sky, Erica, Sarah, Benny and Rory arrived at the scene, investigating the house as well.

"Grandma's right," Benny said, "someone definitely performed magic here. And it was recent as well. Maybe...midnight?"

"How can you tell?" Rory asked. "Can spellmasters smell magic? Because that'd be so cool..."

Sky patted Rory's back sympathetically. "Unfortunately, Rory, that's not how magic works."

"Really?" Benny said, looking at Sky. "I mean, that's how I do it. I smell this...rustic scent in the air. Kind of like a burned car, or a lot of fire..."

"Um, then you aren't smelling magic, dear." Evelyn said with a chuckle. "You don't smell magic, you _feel_ it."

"So why do I smell fire?"

"Oh, those are the cookies I was cooking," Samantha said, rushing to the kitchen to try and save her cookies. Sarah crossed her arms, looking more anxious than she was concentrated. Erica noticed this and slid to her side.

"Look, Sarah, you don't have to worry." Erica whispered. "He'll be fine."

Sarah nodded, and a beep came from Rory's computer. He smiled, getting on the couch and placing the computer on his lap. Everyone crowded around the couch, and Rory smirked, looking as he got footage from last night.

"Alright, I'm in." Rory said proudly. "I successfully hacked the security camera, and now we can see everything that was going on."

"Rory, honey," Samantha said, placing slightly burnt cookies on the table. "the cameras weren't broken. Whoever stole Ethan just kept them in tact; you could've just asked us for the footage and we would've been able to get it ready in two minutes -"

"Let me just have my Mission Impossible feeling, alright?" Rory snapped, and Erica just stifled her laughs.

The computer screen flickered to life as Rory skipped through all the events before reaching the point where Ethan was in the kitchen, washing dishes and singing Bee Gees. He danced around, sliding across the floor.

Benny snickered. "E always had the moves of John Travolta, not gonna lie."

Erica nodded. "Yeah, did you see the moves he busted out at the dance-a-thon last week -"

"Focus!" Sarah snapped.

Everyone looked at her, and Sarah cowered back into her seat, mumbling "sorry" and watched the screen.

The lights flickered dark, and the music played on. They watched as Ethan walked into the living room, to be met with a tall, black stranger. He backed away, trying to grab the person. But it was too late; a stream of gold magic blasted Ethan in the chest, and he was turned into a golden statue.

"Oh my god," Samantha covered her mouth. "my baby..."

Ross comforted her, and the stranger went up to the camera, face blocked by a mask.

"Can you see a face?" Benny mumbled.

"No." Sky replied, squinting as she pushed her black glasses up. "I think he's wearing a mask. And gloves; there won't be any fingerprints on the cameras."

"I think he's saying something," Rory whispered, and they all quieted down.

 _"Hello, Team V."_ The stranger's voice was muffled by a device that made his voice indecipherable. _"If you're watching this, then you know that I have kidnapped your favorite Seer. He is kind of like a trophy wife; he's a wife because he's feminine as fuck,"_

Rory stifled laugh, which was silenced by Sarah's glare.

 _"And two, because he is going to be a trophy at the 'Don't Stop Disco' competition at the local club, Saturday night, which I reckon is quite appropriate, if I do say so myself. "_

The figure chuckled, before going on.

 _"That's right. Your beloved Seer is going to be the prize for the winning couple. Of course, you should try and win him back, shouldn't you? Remember the rules, Team V; you have to disco for as long as you can, but once nobody is dancing, I'll make sure_ everybody _in the room has a...blast."_

The gang exchanged looks, and the figure cackled, disappearing in smoke, along with the golden statue of Ethan.

"Blast?" Rory said, closing the computer. "What does he mean by 'blast'?"

"He's going to blow up the club." Benny murmured. "He's going to blow up the club, _literally._ With explosives."

"And if he is telling the truth about Ethan, he is going to blow up Ethan." Sarah mumbled, standing up shakily.

"Where is the club he was talking about in the video?" Sky asked. Rory opened his computer again. His fingers flied across the keyboard. After a while, he finally got the location. He looked at his friends.

"It's not too far," Rory read off the site. "The competition is in this place called 'Blast From The Past Disco Club'. They hold an annual 'Don't Stop Disco' every year, with cooler prizes. This year, a mysterious man donated a golden statue of who he calls 'his prized possession'."

Sarah slammed the table. Samantha winced. Sarah looked at her, and calmed down, asking the questions calmly. "Who is the guy?"

"I dunno." Rory answered. "It doesn't say."

"Let's not worry about that, let's just try and figure out what he meant and how we can stop this guy from blowing up the place." Erica cut in. She pulled out her phone, and began scrolling through her contacts. Rory peeked over her shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw the number she tapped.

"Not him," Rory moaned. "Please, anybody _but_ him."

"I think we have no choice, Rory." Sky said, crossing her arms. Benny seemed to have got what was happening - Sky could tell by how fast Benny's head was shaking - and Rory flopped face first on the couch, moaning.

* * *

It was less than two minutes after the call when the doorbell rang. Benny offered to get it. He walked to open it, and sighed when he answered it.

"Not you again." Benny growled.

Jesse smiled. "We meet again, geek."

Benny crossed his arm, rolling his eyes. Jesse just checked his nails, leaning against the doorframe. He then looked at Benny as if he were an alien. Benny's eyes said it all; what was he waiting for?

"Are you going to invite me in, dork?"

"Take it back, and I will."

"Will what?"

"Let you come in."

Jesse grinned, stepping into the house, his fangs showing in his smile. Benny face-palmed.

"I'm such an idiot." Benny murmured, and Jesse smiled a toothy grin at Samantha and Ross.

"Hello Mrs. Morgan. Mr. Morgan." Jesse said, grinning. Ethan's parents stepped back, glaring at Jesse.

"Who's idea was this." Ross growled.

Jesse rose his hand in the air. "Oh, Mr. Morgan, calm down."

"You nearly killed Ethan." Samantha said loudly. "I don't think you have any right to even be in this household. If you don't leave within the next ten seconds, don't think that I won't stake you until I see your heart fall out of your fucking chest."

"Geez, someone grew a pair," Jesse smirked. "and I'm not talking about E's _pops_ here."

Ross lunged towards him, but Erica held him back.

"I called him, alright?" Erica said, stepping between the three. "I called him because I know he'll be able to help."

"How?" Samantha asked.

"You weren't there for the Lucifractor, Mrs. Morgan?" Jesse asked, sickly sweet. "I saved everyone's ass."

"Yeah, okay." Sky finally spoke up, walking up to Jesse.

"Oh, is it Sky Bryans?" His eyes travelled down to Sky's hand, which was squeezing Benny's. He smiled. "Or should I say Sky _Weir?_ "

Benny bit his lip in frustration. Jesse smirked. "Please never change your name, dearest Sky. I wouldn't want you to have that last name for the rest of you life. Heck, your kids will laugh at you, counting Benny boy over here can even manage."

Erica stifled her laughs, and Sarah elbowed her, shutting her up promptly.

"We invited you for a reason, Jesse." Sarah rolled her eyes. "And that reason was not for you to be a jackass."

"So why do you need me again, _Sarah?_ "

"Because," Erica answered for her, "I just checked out the rules for the competition. You need to be in a relationship to join."

Erica looked at Jesse, and added, "And since we all prefer to be in our relationships, Sarah has to dance with _someone._ You were the first person I thought of when I thought of the disco dance competition thingy."

"Wait," Sarah interrupted, "I have to dance with _him?"_

"Yeah, hold up, Erica," Jesse said, "I thought I was here for some serious mission. What the hell does disco have to do with anything? You know I have a job that I have to be doing at the moment that involves more explosions than disco dancing, right?"

"Well, Jess, this one involves a lot of explosives." Rory muttered. "And the death of Ethan, along with many drunk 70's people, if we don't stop it."

"Don't call me _Jess,_ blondie."

"It suits you. Feminine." Benny smirked.

"Says the guy with the name of a pre-schooler," Jesse shot back.

"Enough!" Evelyn roared.

Everyone looked at her, and the wall that Evelyn at burned with her magic. She cheekily smiled, repaired it with the snap of her fingers, and continued to speak.

"We need to cooperate if we want to save Ethan." Evelyn smiled. "I think I have an idea on how we are going to stop this guy."

"How?" Sarah echoed.

"Well, it involves getting you teens back in those black suits again, and getting those retired Bluetooth headsets back on your heads again. And Jesse," She looked at the old vampire with a sigh. "we're going to need your agency specialties to help us with this one."

"It's like, Mission Impossible all over again!" Rory smiled, and then his smile grew as he added, "Or at least, Mission Impossible: _Disco Nation._

* * *

Saturday night, and Sarah walked into the club, with Jesse by her side.

"It's a nice night for a little disco, huh?" Jesse asked, and Sarah shrugged.

"I guess."

"...you look nice."

"Since when did you give compliments?"

"You do look nice. Not a compliment. The truth."

Sarah _knows_ she looked nice; she wore a red dress that showed a lot of her neck. It went up to her knees, and resembled the outfit that Stephanie Mangano from _Saturday Night Fever._ Her hair was curled, left down.

"You look nice as well, if you want to hear it." she ended up saying.

Jesse looked down at the white suit - with the popped collar, like Tony Manero - and looked at Sarah with a toothy grin. "I think I look good as well. Good ol' John Travolta would be proud of the look I'm showing off tonight."

He winked, and Sarah just rolled her eyes.

"I'm in a relationship, Jesse."

"You never said a happy one, _Sare_."

"Don't call me that, Jesse." Sarah looked at him sternly. "We are not dating."

"People call you that -"

She interrupted his protests. "I am being completely honest when I tell you to act maturely tonight. We don't want to win, Jesse. We need to dance long enough for Sky and Benny to deactivate that bomb under the dance floor. We cannot get off the dance floor, and that means no drinking. If no one is on the dance floor, you have five seconds to get on it before the bomb explodes. Got it?"

"Wow, thanks for the recap, Sarah." Jesse said, annoyed. "I know the plan off the back of my head. And this is strictly professional; you have to remember that this is my career, and not some last minute thing that your _'gang'_ does."

Sarah said nothing as they walked into the club.

It was glimmering in red and orange lights, pumping 70's music loudly. The LED dance floor was filled with bodies of couples under a disco ball, and around the edges of the club were people at tables, taking shots and getting wasted.

Jesse looked jealous at the amount of alcohol. Sarah just dragged him to the registration table, where they were meant with a man with a fake, bright orange, afro.

"Wassup?" The guy screamed from the other side. Sarah winced. "How can I help ya?"

"We want to sign up for the 'Don't Stop Disco' competition tonight." Jesse said smoothly, leaning against the table.

Orange Afro beamed. "Of course! Just sign your name. And remember; the only rules are that you're out once you stop dancing, and you are out if you pass out, drunk."

"Wait, there's going to be drinking?" Sarah asked. Jesse's lit up.

"Yeah, every time a couple goes out, we give the remaining couples a shot of our speciality!" The man winked.

Jesse grinned. "I'm in."

Sarah sighed. "Me too, I guess."

"Groovy!" The man smiled as he took their sheets. "Starts in ten minutes, 'right? Grab a drink while you're at it, will ya? It's a good idea to fuel up before the dancing, if you know what I mean, which you definitely do."

Sarah dragged Jesse away, and Jesse just made his way to the bar.

 _'You're gonna get_ _wasted?'_ Erica's voice rung in Sarah's ears. _'That's not fair; why do Rory and I have to be on henchmen duty?'_

"Because, Erica," Sarah hissed through her headset. "you two are the best fighters out of all of us. Rory can't dance if he had the chance."

 _'Yes I can!'_ Rory protested.

 _'Oh please,'_ Benny spoke up. _'You passed out from ten minutes of running laps in gym. And you're a vampire.'_

Sarah smirked. Rory huffed. _'To my defence, I didn't eat breakfast. And you passed out too!'_

 _'Focus, guys.'_ Sky's calming voice echoed in Sarah's ears. _'Benny and I are just about to go underground to try and deactivate the bomb under the dance floor. We found the shed that connects the LED dance floor to the control panel, and now we are going down the staircase.'_

 _'Yeah, did you know this whole LED floor is literally embedded into the ground? They built that as the floor of the actual club, and had construction workers dig for hours underground to connect it to the control panel. It's crazy.'_ Benny added.

"Yeah, real interesting." Sarah said. "Jesse is taking shots, and I am gonna try and keep the old man busy."

 _'You know I have a headset too, right?'_ Jesse's voice buzzed, and Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!" Orange Afro said from the stage. Sarah had said the contest was starting, and rushed to find Jesse, who was in the middle of the dance floor.

"Are you ready to get _grooooooo-vay?_ " Orange Afro screamed. The people drunkenly yelled.

"Tonight, one lucky couple will be going home a thousand bucks, and this amazing, life size statue, generally donated by one of our club members!"

He pulled down the sheet, and Sarah was stunned to see Ethan, shining in gold, his hand stretched out. His eyes read fear, but people didn't seem to notice that. Jesse must've saw the look on her face, because he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Sarah." Jesse said quietly. "He'll be okay."

Sarah nodded, and girls in bell-bottoms began to pass out the first shots.

"And on the count of three, drink your shots, and start dancing!"

Sarah got her shot, and Jesse got his. The countdown began.

"Please don't blame me if I get crazy," Sarah said sincerely. "I really hope they were true about vampires not getting drunk."

"They aren't," Jesse smirked. "Trust me."

Sarah gulped, and Jesse toasted when everyone exclaimed 'one!'.

"Seeya on the other side, Sare." he said with a smile.

And they took the shot, leaving it on the table beside them, and began their disco night.

* * *

"Great," Erica muttered, sitting behind the bush outside of the club. "Sarah is out there with her ex, getting wasted; it should be _me_ who is doing that right now! She definitely owes me a shot or five when we get back to our dorm..."

"Hey, babe, as much as I love when you are drunk," Rory said, "I don't really want to see you with your ex. Besides, I didn't even know you had an ex in in the first place. I'm oddly suspicious now."

"You don't need to know the story, Rory."

"Hey! That rhymed!"

"...it did, huh."

"Yeah...don't change the subject!" Rory said, spinning around to face her. They were both wearing dark suits, and all they could hear in their ear pieces were drunken cheers and disco music. Erica looked at Rory and rolled her eyes. She fixed her ponytail.

Rory grew impatient. "Who was your ex, Erica?"

"That's not relevant, Rory."

"Well, it's not like any interesting spy things are happening at the moment," Rory whispered. "I think this is the part where the two spies are waiting for something, and then they decide to share something intimate."

"Which movie did you get that from this time?"

"Uh, every movie? _Duh!_ "

Erica rolled her eyes, leaning against the shrub. "I've had a lot of boyfriends before you; don't feel special."

"You have?" Rory asked, feeling rather dumb; of course she had more boyfriends before him. She was _Erica Jones;_ he was lucky enough that he can even say to other people that he was _Erica Jone's girlfriend._

"But maybe it's because I've been around you for a while, Rory." Erica suddenly blurted out. Rory perked up. "Maybe it's because we were kind of together for as long as I've known you. Freshman year, and you were kind of a dork. But you've shown me that I am too."

"So your point?"

"I'm saying that I've had a lot of romances, Rory." She smiled. "But I guess you've showed me a new way of living. I could've been an emotionless vampire, going from victim to victim, love to love. But I have you. For God knows how long."

"...wow, we've certainly skipped to the end credits, have we?"

Erica smirked. "One more thing to go."

Rory leaned in and kissed Erica. Erica smiled, moving into the kiss. By the time they were done, they were both blushing, lips wet.

When Rory leaned back, he looked at Erica.

"I want to marry you when I graduate."

Erica's breath stopped. "You... _what?"_

"Well, I know it isn't really worth anything, since we're immortal and all," Rory blushed, scratching the back of his neck. "and I know that it would be kind of useless, but I want kids, Erica, and I want to have them with you. Unless you don't want to. Besides, I don't think vampires can have babies anyway -"

Erica cut him off with a kiss. "I want to marry you."

"...you do?"

"As soon as I can, Keaner."

* * *

Another couple got off the dance floor, clearly disappointed, and Sarah's (sort of) sober mind tried to check what time it was.

"It's been about half an hour," Sarah said to Jesse, who was right beside her, doing _'The Bus Stop'_. "These people are certainly motivated dancers."

"Orrrrr," Jesse slurred. "maybe time just moves slower when you and I are together, babe."

"Jesse," Sarah pouted, stretching the name as she spun around Jesse. "I told you for the second time today, that I am in a _happy_ relationship. And you're drunk; you don't know what you are talking about.

"You're drunk too, Sarah!" Jesse exclaimed, dipping her.

Sarah forced herself up. "Jesse, let's just keep dancing."

Jesse smirked as another shot was delivered their way; another couple has lost. "Sure thing, Sare."

Sarah wearily drank the shot, and blinked widely as the room spun around her in circles.

 _'Please hurry up,'_ Sarah thought to herself.

* * *

"Okay, here we are!" Benny said, finding the bomb that was under the LED dance floor. The bomb had an analog monitor, that was beeping with numbers.

"I think that is the amount of people that are still on the dance floor." Sky whispered. Benny nodded.

"Fifteen." He read off the monitor. "There are fifteen people that are on the LED dance floor right now, which means we have to move fast if we want to deactivate this bomb. Do you think we can do it, Agent Skylar?"

Sky rose an eyebrow. Benny shrugged.

"Well?" Benny asked incredulously. "Can we, Agent?"

"I guess we can, 007." Sky snickered, and Benny grinned widely.

 _"Uh, guys?"_ Sarah's voice slurred. " _Jesse is getting tipsy, and so am I-I. I think y'all need to hurry."_

"She does sound stoned." Benny remarked. "Lucky girl."

Sky gave him an annoyed look, and they went on to try and deactivate the bomb.

"Benny, five people got off. There is now ten people on the dance floor - wait, no, nine."

"The numbers are dropping, huh." Benny said worryingly. "We should probably get going."

"How's it going where you are, Erica and Rory?" Sky whispered in her headset, unaware of the black shadow behind them.

* * *

"It could be going better!" Erica exclaimed, going full 360 and kicking a vampire in the head. He flopped to the ground, and Rory smirked. He punched a guy in the face, and the guy staggered back, before swinging another punch. Rory dodged sideways, and swept low to blow a kick to the guy's shin.

"This is like," Rory huffed, "a game that involves us, fighting off bad people, and their battles on which the player chooses if they want to be on good or bad affect the actual episodes of a show about us!"

Erica looked at Rory after a few seconds of silence. "Oddly specific; let's not break the fourth wall again, Rory. You never know."

Rory got socked in the face by one of the henchmen, and went flying back. He growled, wiping blood off his mouth, and his fangs popped out.

"Who do you even work for?" Rory screamed, throwing a punch to the guys stomach.

"We'll never tell you!" The henchman smirked, his own fangs popping out. "Besides, he is gonna take out your 'underground miners' as soon as he can. And this whole place is going to explode into pieces."

Erica stabbed both henchmen with stakes, and exchanged nervous glances with Rory.

"There are people coming your way, guys!" Erica yelled in her headpiece. "I don't think you have much time!"

* * *

Sky and Benny heard the words in their headsets, and turned around to see a man, wrapped in a black tux, with a mask on.

"Who the hell are you?" Sky murmured.

"The one who'll destroy you." The man said deeply.

He went for a kick, and Benny didn't see it coming; he was knocked onto the ground, clutching his nose.

"Benny!" Sky exclaimed, and Benny got up, nose dripping with blood.

"You'll pay for that, you son of a bitch." Benny growled, dodging the next punch as he kicked the guy backwards. The guy stumbled, but stuck his landing as he threw an uppercut to Benny's chin. Benny went left, and the man ran right into Sky.

"Hey, Mister. Looks like you reached a dead end." Sky said, about to rip off his mask when the masked man sped back at inhumane speed.

"A vampire." Benny whispered under his breath.

The man, instead of harming them, touched Benny.

He whispered something under his breath, and Benny's eyes glazed white. He smirked at Sky and sped away. Benny's breath hitched, and everything began to spin.

"Benny?" Sky's voice seemed so far away. _"Benny?"'_

 _..._

 _"We have to leave," she said, crying. "for him. For his future."_

 _He cradled the baby boy in his arms. "Lily, maybe we don't. Maybe we can give this boy the happiness he deserves."_

 _"But I killed him, David." she cried. "I killed him in front of his eyes. I killed him in front of his son's eyes. And if our baby finds out who his father was, or even worse, that you are not who you think you are, he will never be the same. He will -"_

 _She sobbed into his shoulder. He rubbed her reassuringly._

 _"He's strong," he said. "I may have not been there, but he's a Weir. And he's half you."_

 _"But he's not half you." She blinked away tears._

 _He sighed, rubbing her shoulder. "He doesn't have to be, Lily, because he will never know."  
_

 _..._

"Benny!" Sky went to Benny, who was crying and heaving.

"D-Daddy," Benny moaned, dropping to his knees. "M-Mommy...what does he mean?"

"Benny, snap out of this, please." Sky pleaded.

" _What does he mean?_ " Benny cried, cradling himself. He was shaking so much, that Sky began to worry. His nose was still stained red, but they were drenched in his tears. He seemed to be in some sort of trance, or was having a panic attack. "Daddy, I-I-I don't understand, p-please - "

When Sky laid Benny on the ground, she lifted his head and gasped.

His eyes were white.

"B-Benny...?" she stammered, gently laying his head down on the ground again. Benny's cries were softened, and he was in a painful slumber.

Sky looked at the monitor again and gasped; they were at two people.

* * *

"We won!" Sarah slurred, leaning against Jesse, pecking him on the cheek. "We won, we won, we won! _We are the champions!"_

Jesse whooped as they slid the life-sized golden statue of Ethan towards him. "Congrats, you lucky couple! Here's ya trophy!"

Sarah smiled, kissing the statue in her drunken daze. "Ethie! I've won you, Ethie! I am so happy! Yay yay yay yay yay! You better be the proudest boyfriend in the world, because I've danced for hours and hours for you!"

Jesse and Sarah stumbled off the dance floor.

"Um, Jesse?" Sarah asked, once they were off the dance floor. "Who - Who's dancing?"

"Why?" Jesse asked, looking over.

No one was on the dance floor.

"Oh shit," Jesse said in a rush.

Time sped as everyone in the room screamed.

* * *

"You're lucky I deactivated the bomb when I did," Sky said, looking at Jesse and Sarah with crossed arms. "The screaming people club would've exploded.

"I was so worried," Sarah gushed. "I thought they were screaming because the bomb was exploding. I didn't know another Bee Gees song played."

"Well, I'm glad you kids are safe." Evelyn said, smiling. She then winked towards Jesse and Sarah. "And you're lucky I had your instant hangover relief. Otherwise, you two would've been drunk off your asses for hours."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weir." Sarah blushed. "I feel terrible. We almost threw off the whole mission."

"Well, now that I'm not wasted," Jesse stood up. "I guess I'll be on my way."

"Thank you for your assistance, Jesse." Evelyn said. Jesse nodded, blinking widely as he sped out the door. He hit the frame, rubbed his head, and actually sped out of the car.

"Well, mission accomplished!" Evelyn exclaimed, whispering a spell and shooting it towards Ethan. A silver streak hit Ethan in the chest. The gold around him shattered, and Ethan took a breath, stumbling forward into Sarah.

"Sarah?" he asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

Sarah hugged Ethan. "I thought I lost you."

"You won't for a while." Ethan said with a wink.

Sky smiled at the two, but then looked at Benny, who was wearing the grey hoodie she had offered him earlier. He was barely shaking, but he was pale, with purple rings around his eyes. He didn't seem like he was paying attention, but he looked stunned.

"Benny, what happened back there?" Sky whispered to Benny, quiet enough so no one could here.

Benny didn't answer, and Evelyn came back into the room with a cup of what seemed to be coffee.

"Here, Benny, you can have this." Evelyn suggested. Sky looked at Evelyn suspiciously, but Benny downed the whole cup in a matter of seconds. He shakily said a 'thank you' to his grandma as he placed the cup on the desk. Sky frowned; he seemed so much more weaker...

"Skylar, could you be a dear and take Benny up in his room for me?" Evelyn asked. "I'll be up there in a second."

"S-Sure." Sky stuttered, sensing an odd feeling towards Evelyn. She held Benny's hand, and they walked upstairs.

"T-Tired..." Benny murmured, stumbling in the hallway towards his room. His eyes were glazed, and bloodshot from crying. But he seemed as if he lost all the energy he had before going upstairs to his room. He stumbled in with the help of Sky, and collapsed on the bed.

"Do you feel okay?" Sky asked, concerned, before mumbling quietly, "You weren't this drowsy when you were downstairs."

"Diiizzy." Benny mumbled his words in a slur, before his eyes fluttered closed.

"Benny?" Sky shook him slightly. " _Benny."_

But he was passed out on the bed, snoring softly. She heard her friends call her from downstairs - "We're having tacos!" Rory exclaimed - and she could hear the vague talking of Evelyn on the phone in the next room - she couldn't really make out the conversation, but it sounded too professional for Sky to even bother.

Sky rubbed his messy hair, kissing it softly, before getting up to look at her boyfriend.

She sighed. "Get well soon, please."

...

Sky came back to the Weir residence a few hours later, claiming that she had forgotten her hat in Benny's room. She didn't know why she lied to Evelyn, but because of the expression on Evelyn's face, and the odd behavior earlier, Sky didn't really trust Evelyn to tell her anything at the moment.

When she got to Benny's room, he was sitting straight forward in his bed, watching a cartoon. He didn't seem to be paying much attention.

"Hey, B." Sky sat on the edge of Benny's bed. "How you feeling?"

"Fine," Benny said, adjusting himself to kiss Sky on the cheek.

Sky blushed. "You certainly feel much better."

Benny smiled. "Well, I haven't seen you all day, so I have every right."

Sky's smile faltered into a face of confusion. "What do you mean? You saw me a few hours ago, and you weren't feeling good as well."

"Well, I haven't seen you all day." Benny repeated.

Sky finally saw the glaze in Benny's eyes. A sparkle of silver dissolved into his green eyes, and Sky sat back a bit.

"Who did this to you, Benny..." Sky whispered, before heading outside, rushing past a confused - but slightly sullen - Evelyn.

 _'He's lying about something,'_ Sky thought to herself as she walked to her house, turning around to see the Weir house once again.

 _'That house is filled with liars, huh?'_

Sky didn't know if someone had whispered that in her ear, or if it was her own thought.

 _'Why would I think of that...?'_ Sky thought, before she stopped. _'Unless it's true.'_

* * *

 **A/N- Wow, that was something, huh? I hope that satisfied you.**

 **Next chapter would be interesting. It is the mid-season special! And I'll give you a hint; it'll probably remind me to update The Search For Happily Ever After a lot quicker; it's gonna give me some motivation, that's for sure ;)**

 **Anyway, I'll see y'all later! Review and thanks for reading :)**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	10. Sweet Dreams and Dark Stories

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Yup! Previous author notes have been deleted, and I am not trolling you with another author note surprise! I am actually updating this story with a new chapter of this fabulous story!**

 **I know things have been confusing, with cutting the series short, then adding another season, and I have lately been thinking if I regretted it at all. And, to be honest, I don't regret a single thing. It'd be better for me, anyway. I hope you are okay with it, and continue to stick by my side, even with all of the twists and turns - and I don't mean the plot twists in this story ;)**

 **Anyway, on to this chapter! Last one was quite something, huh? A bunch of drunk disco, some revelations, and growing suspicions towards a certain green-eyed spellmaster, and his _grandmother?_ I don't know if you guys picked up anything, but if I was a reader, I'd say this is pretty suspicious. :P**

 **As for this chapter, hurray! We're closing in on the mid-point of this story! And damn, it is taking a while, huh? I mean, it's already the end of March, going on April, and this has been going on for seven months now? I am so sorry this is going slowly, but you know my situation blah blah blah :P**

 **But things are going downhill from here! With separate struggles and adventures, I guarantee you at the end of this three-part mid-season special, you guys will be leaning over your chairs for more! (I had to make that as exciting as I hope this'll be :P) All I can say that this one may be a bit low-key, but is very important to this three part special. Very important. This episode also focuses mainly on Sky and Benny, though everyone else will appear. I know you like some Besky times :P**

 **This was originally two parts, but I decided to extended it to three for reasons. Plus it was getting long, and the info in this episode needed a whole chapter of its own. I also added one more episode before the three part season finale. So yay for changing everything :P**

 **Shoutouts to...**

 **MBAVFOREVER- Aw, thank you! I am glad you liked the story; it is most rewarding to be told that after a long day of writing, if you know what I mean. But I am happy you enjoyed it, and here is the next chapter; just as you wanted :)**

 **MBAV fan66- I guess you're right! You know what they say, though; curiosity killed the cat! Hopefully no cats are killed...or humans...but you never know, am I right? And ha ha, fanfic buddy. I know, I know; I'm in the middle of writing Chapter 8 of that story as we speak...after reblogging this Tumblr post...and this one...*slams computer closed* Anyway, enough with procrastination; I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

 **So with that, I love you all, drop a review, and...**

 **ENJOY!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV or its characters; the rights go to Teletoon/FreshTV. I only own any characters you don't recognize from the show, primarily Sky Bryans, and this plot. I don't own any real life references/songs/musical artists. The rights go to whoever made it.**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 10: Sweet Dreams and Dark Stories (Their Endgame)

* * *

Benny sat in his room, listening to his American Idiot album on vinyl, which was spinning on a record player his grandpa owned a while ago. He was going through some old papers that were lying around on his desk, when he heard his phone buzz underneath all the papers.

He picked it up, and smiled when he read the caller ID. He slid across the screen and put it on speaker.

"Hey!" he said, smiling.

 _"Hey, you!"_ Sky chirped back. _"Am I on speaker? I can hear American Idiot playing loud and clear."_

"Maybe..." Benny said, laughing as he lowered the volume and placed the phone to his ear. "I'm cleaning up the room a bit, since Grandma said we might have visitors coming soon, and she also said my room looked like a hurricane hit, which I don't believe."

 _"Well, maybe you need to get glasses as well, B, since I think a zombie herd busted out of your TV screen into your room."_

"Wow, thanks, Sky." Benny said, smirking. "Maybe I'm cleaning because you're coming over."

 _"Does that cleaning involve the bed, because maybe you should wait a little while before doing that."_

Benny blushed. "Aren't I supposed to be the one making you embarrassed?"

Sky's laugh rang in his ears, and Benny kicked a small piece of paper under his bed discreetly. He then smiled in accomplishment, and flopped on his bed, exhausted. He could hear Sky chuckle through the speakers.

 _"Tired already?"_ she asked.

"It's been a long day for some reason." Benny said, sighing.

Sky hesitated to answer, before replying, _"Yeah. I'm sure it has been."_

Silence filled their answer before Sky began to talk again.

 _"Benny? Does your grandma...like me?"_

Benny's eyes widened.

"Sky? Have you hit your head or something?" he exclaimed, trying to soften his voice once he remembered his grandma was still in the house. "Of course my Grandma likes you! She has ever since you met me! What kind of question is that?"

 _"Um, a stupid one I guess."_ she muttered.

Benny cowered a bit. "I'm sorry, Sky. I was just a bit confused. I didn't mean to get mad at you."

 _"You're always forgiven, B."_ she said, and then added, _"Just don't tell your grandma, 'kay?"_

Benny frowned in confusion, but nodded anyway. "Yeah, it's fine. Never happened."

 _"Okay then."_

"Okay."

 _"So, seven tonight?"_ she asked. " _It's about two hours from now, which gives us both time to wear nice clothes. Which won't really matter, since those nice clothes just may end up on the floor, if you are catching my drift ."_

Benny was about to answer bashfully, when his phone beeped. He continued the call as he scrolled through his text messages to see the message that was sent to him. When he did, he read the ID, and saw that it was anonymous.

He gulped nervously, and opened it.

 _I've been up to no good, B, but you seem like you enjoy ruining that. Hasn't your mother ever taught you about letting others have their fun, especially when it's none of your business to steal it? Oh wait, do you want me to rephrase that? Or will you have your little traumatic breakdowns again? :P_

 _What? You don't know what I am talking about? Do I have to dumb it down for you? Or maybe you should ask your grandma about the things you see in the dark ;)_

 _Nonetheless, half this message wasn't going to be me, telling you all the things you should hate about yourself, you pathetic spellmaster. This message is a warning, actually. Or a little...heads up._

 _I'm coming. And this time, you won't have your precious little 'Team V' to save your sorry ass again._

 _It's just going to be you and I._

 _Just like old times._

 _So keep your head in the game, Weir. You never know what fairytale you're getting yourself into._

 _Hugs and kisses,_

 _Shadow xx_

 _P.S- Do I have to even call myself Shadow anymore? I mean, you and I are definitely at first name basis already. Do you want to avoid all these troubles and save your friends at the same time, like the little goody you are? I am willing to make a proposition with you. Don't worry about the meeting place; you'll be able to find it :)_

He couldn't hear Billie Armstrong anymore, or _Boulevard of Broken Dreams._ All he heard was Talia's voice, as if she was reading the text out to him. He found himself gasping for air, as he stumbled onto his bed, hand on his heart. His phone dropped onto the ground - luckily not broken, but loud enough for Sky to hear.

 _"Benny?"_ she said urgently. _"Benny, are you okay? I mean, that was my first shot at a sexual flirt, but if you feel uncomfortable about it, I won't say it again -"_

Benny tried to open his mouth to speak, but his head was spinning, and his view changed to something else.

"S-Sky..." he murmured. "I-I think I-I need to sit down -"

* * *

 _"YOU CAN'T EVER DEFEAT ME!"_

 _He smiles determinedly, and whispers the spell. She grasps onto his shoulder, holding him close as she carried the baby in her arms. The baby cried, and three people - one dressed in red, blue and green gowns - stood behind the villain of all their problems, staring at them in shock. Four friends stood behind the couple, also in shock._

 _"YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN ANYWAY, WEIR!" The villain screeches. "YOU KNOW WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF! HE'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY!"_

 _"Oh it's over," he says. "And you are never going to hurt my family again."_

 _A shot of magic blasted from his hand, and hit the raven-haired girl in the chest. She screamed, her body dissolving. Her hair grew bright orange, and she exploded in a cascade of white._

 _"IT'S NEVER OVER!" she screams._ _"I'LL BE BACK!_ _AND YOU'LL PAY!"_

 _She's gone, and the boy and girl exchange looks, glancing at the baby._

 _"She's gone." she whispers to the baby. "She's gone."_

 _..._

 _She grasps onto a cliff, looking up at the shadowed figure looming above her._

 _"Well don't just stand there!" she screams, knowing no one but him can hear her. "I screwed up, I know, but we can still fix this! Just bring me back before I fall, and we will end them once and for all!"_

 _The figure smirks._

 _"I think that was your last time, mother."_

 _The girl's eyes widen, and memories flood back when the boy extends his hand._

 _"You..." she murmurs. "This whole time, it wasn't them...it was you."_

 _"Yes," He stomps her foot on her hand, and she lets go of the cliff's edge, screaming in agony as she falls into the endless dark abyss below her._

 _"Me." he says with a mischievous laugh, and drives away in a red, old car._

* * *

He's surprised he didn't faint again. He gasped for breath again as tears bead his eyes. The lights pound in his brain, and his head felt as if it were going to explode. He heard voices, and it took him a while for him to recognize them before he finally did.

 _"Benny?!"_ Sky's voice screamed in the phone. _"Do I have to come over there? Holy shit, you were screaming, a-and you sound like you're crying. Is this what happened when we were underground? Benny, I think you need to tell me the truth -"_

"I-I'm fine." he stammered, picking up his phone and putting it to his ear. "I'll tell you everything when you get here, just please don't worry and I'll meet you at seven."

 _"Benny -"_

"See you in two hours." he said flatly, before he hung up, not waiting for her to finish her sentence.

He threw his phone onto his bed. He wiped the tears furiously, and ran down the stairs, to find his grandma reading a newspaper on the couch. She looked at him, not paying attention to the tears.

"Hey, Benny, dear, do you happen to know how to fix up the surveillance camera?" she asked, oblivious to Benny crying. "I mean, they're not broken, but I think it'd be best if they were updated, if that is the proper term. You think you can do it -"

She finally got a close look at Benny, lowering her reading glasses to see tear streaks down his face. Her eyes widened, and she dropped her newspaper and rushed towards him, pulling him into a big hug.

"Benny? Are you alright?"

"The amount of times somebody told me that today alone." he chuckled, and both of them went to sit down on the couch.

"What's the matter, dear?" she asked gently. "I heard you on the phone with who I assume is Sky. Did you guys get in a fight, or...?"

"No, no. Definitely not." Benny said quietly. Evelyn went to prepare him some special coffee, and Benny continued to speak to her.

"I had a vision of some sorts. Of what I think is the past, but I can't be sure."

Evelyn nearly dropped the mug she was holding.

"T-The p-past?" she managed to choke out. Benny nodded.

"It was like _I_ was there." He shuddered. "And I broke down. I feel exhausted; that always happens."

"Did they start getting worse?" Evelyn asked, handing him the mug of coffee. He sipped a bit, and smiled, before continuing on.

"They are." he admitted. Evelyn paled. Benny kept going.

"I think someone erased my memory as well." Benny said. "Sky came over a few days ago, and she said she saw me, and I wasn't feeling good that day. Problem is, I hadn't seen her at all that day. And she wouldn't lie about it. So that brings me to the question; did we do anything that day? Anything important? All I can remember from that day was Sky seeing me, and me staying in bed all day. And this man in shadows, who did something, but I think that may have been a cartoon..."

"I think you are just hallucinating." she blurts out.

Benny raises an eyebrow. "I've had these things since that night Shark disappeared."

"Yes, I know, but it may just be part of your magical system...doing something." she said vaguely, and Benny rose an eyebrow, clearly suspicious.

"I'm not convinced." he said firmly.

"You don't have to be." she snapped, and Benny was taken back a bit.

Evelyn sighed, taking a breath and recollecting herself.

"Just drink your coffee and forget it ever happened, alright? If you have any other...visions, please tell me."

The words echo in Benny's mind, and the statement feels more like a command than an act of reassurance. Benny looks at his grandma, still quite suspicious, but mumbles an indecipherable 'okay' and finishes his coffee.

When he's sleeping, Evelyn furiously went to her room, pacing the floor.

"The past." she muttered. "It'd make more sense if it was the _future,_ given his roots, but the _past?_ "

She shook her head in disbelief.

"He's figuring it out."

* * *

Sky came over at seven as promised, but found Benny sleeping on the couch.

"Oh boy." she muttered, and sat beside him, smoothing her mint green dress beneath her.

"Benny?" She tapped his cheek. "Benny, you up?"

But he remained unresponsive. Sky began to get a bit worried, shaking him a bit more. He stirred slightly, but a voice stopped her.

"Sky?"

She turned around to see Evelyn, and stood up in a rush. Evelyn has been getting on her nerves nowadays, and was the only thing that was on Sky's mind, ever since the disco incident. She faked a smile, and went over to hug her.

"Hey, Mrs. Weir!" she chirped. "I brought, um, cookies. Want one? My mom and I cooked 'em."

"That'd be great, though you should probably save them for when Benny wakes up. And don't worry if this is your way of getting me out of the house for a while; I will be gone, and as long as you guys stay safe and clean up afterwards, I won't mind a thing."

Sky blushed. "Oh, I was trying to be nice. We aren't planning on... _doing_ anything tonight. Just a movie and popcorn or something."

Evelyn's eyes lit up. "I didn't mean sexually, Sky."

Sky's face turned bright red. "O-Of course."

"But that'll have to wait, because, as you can see, Benny's a bit tired. You're free to either stay or leave. Your choice."

Sky's embarrassment turns into a bit of aggression, and the joking demeanor Evelyn presented before turned into taunting and teasing in Sky's eyes.

"Is there any reason I should leave?" she gritted out.

"Of course not."

Sky doesn't want to say anything, but she hated the way Evelyn was talking to her. She was growing more and more suspicious of her as the days go by, but decided against saying anything to the elderly spellmaster.

"Why's Benny so tired?" she said instead.

"Well, he was supposed to help me update the surveillance feed, but I guess he got tired instead." Evelyn said smoothly, eyeing Sky suspiciously. Sky gave her a look back, and it was obvious that tension was rising.

"Does Benny ever tell you about his...visions?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm trying to be civil, _Skylar_. If you have anything wrong with that, you can leave."

Sky decided to drop the suspicions. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Weir. I...It's been a long day."

"Same for me. I apologize for the behavior as well. We're all grownups caring for one spellmaster after all."

Sky smiled. "Yeah."

They stay in an uncomfortable silence, watching Benny sleep on the couch.

"There was this guy underground, when we were deactivating the bomb under the LED light." Sky said at last. "I don't know him - I feel like I recognized him - but he...said something to Benny. I think it was a spell. It must've triggered something, because Benny froze for minutes, and the guy - it was a vampire, now that I remember - sped off. He snapped out of it later, crying and yelling things like 'What do they mean, mommy?' or saying 'daddy' and 'mommy'. It was scarier when I say his eyes before he passed out; they were white. Bright white. I thought something was happening to him, because he was so confused, and -"

Sky tried her best not to break down in tears. Evelyn nodded, mentally taking note of everything.

"Alright, I'll make sure to talk about it to him." she said finally. "And I'm sorry that you had to go through that. Hopefully we are able to find what's wrong with Benny before...well, before it worsens or gets potentially dangerous."

Sky frowned after hearing Evelyn speak; was that the right thing to tell her? She didn't exactly know why she was all of the sudden so paranoid about the Weir family, but ever since thinking those suspicious thoughts nights before, it was like everything changed.

Nonetheless she said nothing, and decided to change the topic.

All of the sudden, an idea popped in her mind. Sky began to silently devise a plan, and when she was done, she looked at Evelyn sweetly.

"You need your surveillance updated?" Sky asked innocently. "I can do that for you if you want."

Evelyn looked at her; it was her turn to be suspicious.

Nonetheless, she sighed, shrugging.

"I don't see the harm in that." Evelyn said with a smile.

Sky faked a smile for the second time, and followed Evelyn to the basement, where the surveillance was set up.

"Alright, here we go." Evelyn said, flickering the lights. Sky looked around to see potions stacked on shelves, and rows of books. Sky figured this was where Evelyn placed all her spellbooks and the things that she used for her spells.

She led her into a secret room, unlocked by using a fake book in a bookshelf, that was actually a lever - "The good ol' 'secret door in the bookshelf' thing, huh, Mrs. Weir?" Sky winked. "Classy." - and showed Sky around the small room.

It was like a control panel room, filled with surveillance feed from every room in the house, and a small control system below them. Sky's jaw dropped in awe as she walked around, her footsteps banging against the metal floors.

"Wow," Sky said. "It's like a steel trap in here, huh?"

"Yup." Evelyn said proudly. "Cost a lot, but was worth it."

"Why do you need such a complex surveillance system?" Sky questioned curiously. "I mean, I know people like to keep an eye on things during vacations and stuff, and I know that you have your reasons, but it is very...complex. If this is the surveillance system that Benny set up way back when..." Sky hesitated. "Mark was around, then I don't know what an _updated_ version if this bad boy is, nonetheless how Benny would've done it."

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." Evelyn said, and even if it was meant for a small encouragement, but it sounded like a offhanded insult. "And to answer your question, I just feel a bit good to know that none of those snotty spellmasters at the conventions are stealing anything from me. There were some incidents of that in the past, so all earth priestesses have"

A thought crossed Sky's mind, and she widened her eyes in worry.

"Um, does that mean you can see Benny and I...um...have..."

She didn't have to finish the sentence. Evelyn chuckled lightly.

"Oh no, dear." Evelyn said with a smile. "Benny gives the camera some sort of special signal when he wants the cameras turned off. I always understand; I always do it too. We have a system, but it's nothing of your concern."

Sky frowned. She remembered the conversations that she had with Benny earlier in the day, and wondered if she had heard those as well.

"How often do you check these?"

"I only check them if I feel like I _need_ to."

Sky gulped, but managed to speak. "Alright, so what do you need updating?"

"Well, one of the cameras aren't in proper quality, and I think it just needs a bit of focusing. Plus, there was a new update in the software Benny used, so I think you are going to be able to manage that quite well."

"T-To do that, I am going to have to see where you store the footage." Sky stammered, hating how she lied. "Do you have some sort of computer that you can transfer the camera feed to some sort of file? It would probably help with the updating of the software."

"Since you're fixing it, I guess you can see it." Evelyn said hesitantly, pulling out a computer from a compartment in the wall. "Though you have to promise me you won't try to steal any files -"

Sky gulped; was she on to her?

" - so you can see how I make my signature cupcakes."

Sky chuckled nervously, sliding into the chair with the computer in front of her.

"Oh, I'll try not to be tempted to do so." Sky joked, and Evelyn smiled, walking out and leaving Sky alone.

She quickly went to work; updating the system and fixing the camera's view like she was asked to. She was quite fascinated with the system itself, and almost lost herself in the complexity of it, but reminded herself of why she was actually here.

When she was done, she transferred a copy of week's worth of video feed to the computer, then plugged in her phone with a compatible wire. She transferred the files of the video feed to her phone, and stored them, locking the app that held the files - just in case.

She cleared all evidence that she was ever on the computer and smiled a bit; she was going to find the secrets of the Weir family once and for all - starting with a video.

Sky walked out of the room, closing the door - or at least, the bookshelf - behind her, and saw that Evelyn was standing right outside, waiting for her.

"Good, I assume you're done?"

"Y-Yes."

"Thanks a bunch, Sky!" she chirped. "I knew I could trust you!"

Sky nodded, blushing while expressing her gratitude, and as she followed Evelyn upstairs, she couldn't help but think if that was the right choice. She could be wrong about Evelyn, and if she was, it could backfire on her - she could lose her respect, or, even worse, she could lose Benny.

"You can always trust me to a job, Mrs. Weir." Sky said, sitting beside Benny once again, watching him sleep peacefully, wondering if she really meant those words or not.

* * *

Benny woke up to see Sky sleeping beside him. He glanced over at the clock and realized that it was already nine, and he had slept in two hours. He remembered falling asleep at around five or six, so he was quite astonished to see that he had slept in so long.

He was also quite upset to see Sky sleeping; he must've slept for a long time, and probably ruined their date. And Sky was dressed so nicely as well; in her pretty green dress and her white ballet flats. She looked nice for someone who was just going to sit down and watch movies.

"Sky?" Benny asked, tugging the hem of her dress a bit. She stirred, blinking her eyes to focus on Benny. She smiled.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." she said, and Benny rolled his eyes.

"Was I that bad?"

"You didn't budge." she said, a bit worried. "I mean, it was like you were knocked out cold."

"I feel like I was." Benny said, stretching a bit. "That coffee Grandma gives me is a miracle worker."

"Coffee has caffeine though, doesn't it? How does that even work?"

"I dunno," Benny said, winking. "but trust me when I say that I don't question things; especially when I get beautiful people like yourself. I always ask the same question every single day, and I just decided not to question it."

"Wow, what a flirt." Benny stuck out her tongue.

"You're talking, Miss. Sexual-over-the-phone."

"I was worried about you." Sky said at last. "I mean, you were knocked out. You weren't waking up. Which leads me to this; are you tired, Benny? Like, you are always fainting every now and then, and it's making me worried. You mentioned visions vaguely before, and I didn't think they were really important, and I should've, because maybe they're what's making you...like this."

Sky sniffled. "I really don't want to lose you. Not again. You're a miracle, Benny Weir; dead and back to life in a week. But I don't want to lose you to...yourself."

Benny nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Never be sorry, Benny. This is beyond your control. I just want answers."

"...I don't want to tell you anymore, Sky. Maybe another night, but it's our date. If you want, we can go out if you don't want to stay here. I just want to get out of here, and have a break. I want to forget tonight, and I want to forget with you."

"Forget what?" Sky tried her best not to raise her voice. "Benny, you promised me an answer, and I really want one. You've been worrying me ever since you fainted underground at the disco place, yelling about your mom and dad -"

"What?" Benny said in confusion. "Is this about the thing you told me a few days ago? I told you, Sky, I didn't see you at all on that day. I was in my bed, watching cartoons, and everything was completely normal. I don't even know what you're talking about."

"You can ask Ethan, I swear -"

"Do you not trust me?" Benny snapped.

"Should I?"

That was tipping point. Sky knew she crossed the line, and so did Benny.

This was when they realized that, in their blind rage, their standing up, and Sky's crying. Benny took a breath, and looked at Sky, trying to act calm, even if he had no idea about what he was trying to get across.

"Look, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry." Sky said, wrapping her arms around Benny's waist. "But if you're in a dark place, you can tell me anything."

Benny slid out of her touch, and saw the concern in her eyes.

"I ruined our date, didn't I?"

"No you didn't. I'm actually glad we had this fight."

"You...what?"

"It's hard to explain."

"You don't need to." Benny said at last. "I'm going to go to the kitchen, get myself a soda, and we can go wherever you want. I'll take my grandma's car, unless you want to drive. When I come back, all of this is behind us. 'Kay?"

"Okay."

Benny smiled, and walked to the kitchen, running a hand through his hair. He was stressed, and Sky was starting to see it. Though he hated when she worried, so he tried his best to mask all his worries deep inside of him.

As he went to the fridge, he began to hear a voice.

 _"Can you hear me, Weir?"_

"Sky?" Benny said. "Did you call me?"

"Um, no." Sky said, turning around to face the back of the couch. "Why?"

"I thought I heard someone." Benny said, and he tried to make sure she wouldn't worry more. "No sweat, though."

Sky nodded, and flicked through some channels.

Benny took a shaky breath, and continued to find his drink, when he heard it again.

 _"You can hear me; how splendid indeed.  
But now, it's you I need."  
_

Benny stopped in his tracks, and listened to the voice, feeling his mind slip away. He must've dropped the soda in his hands, because Sky was calling him - he could vaguely hear it - and she was asking if something...happened?

 _"It's time to seal your family fate.  
_ _And all you need to do is catch my bait.  
_ _I'm leading you into shadows; cold and hollow.  
_ _And the only think you can do is **follow.** "_

"Follow." Benny murmured, hypnotized by the voice, and started making his way to the attic.

"Benny?" Sky said, standing up to see her boyfriend, walking straight past her and making his way to what seems to be the attic. Her eyes, widened, and even if she called his name thousands of times, he still didn't answer. She was forced to follow him as well.

 _"I warned you, Weir, and now it's time.  
_ _You are to walk into my deadly crime._ _"_

They end up in the attic, where Benny is met with a book, shining bright in the middle.

"Benny, what the hell, get out of here!" Sky yelled over the sudden wind. But Benny didn't listen, transfixed at the sight of the red-covered book. Sky looked at Benny, watching as he closed his eyes, and in that moment, she decided that Benny was not his normal self.

She began to hear a voice, and Benny was enveloped in a bright light.

" _Benny_!" she screamed, grabbing his wrists. Perhaps that snapped him out of it, because his eyes widened.

"Sky?! What the hell is happening?!"

 _"It's over, Weir; and your friends will see the same!"_

The couple exchanged looks, and felt themselves grow drowsy, getting sucked into the mysterious book until all that was left was Sky's white headband and Benny's watch, that must've fallen off as they were being whisked away into a deadly place.

 ** _"IT IS FINALLY TIME, TO FACE YOUR ENDGAME!"_**

* * *

 **A/N- I hope that was pleasing!**

 **Anyway, drop a review, and I will see you at the next chapter; part 2/3 of this mid-season special :)**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	11. Life's A Fairytale

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Last chapter was quite a calm, but suspicious** **chapter. And by suspicious, I don't mean about you, I mean about the Weir household! I mean seriously, I am quite suspicious about the activity at the Weir's, if you know what I mean. And last chapter, they are whisked into a mysterious book, just like another story we're not going to name right now before I cry :P**

 **This chapter will be even more intense, which is quite usual for a mid-season finale. (I swear I almost spent a year on this book, why is this still running? I'm slow as fuck, I'm only halfway through the story!)**

 **Tension will be rising, secrets will be revealed, and a hidden agenda will be brought into light! Does that sound promising? Oh, and if that's not enough, guess who's scrambling the rescue? Team V, of course :P**

 **Shoutouts to the one and only...**

 **MBAV fan66- You're right indeed! Something smells fishy at that house, huh? And who else than Sky Bryans to be able to crack the mystery _without_ ruining her relationship with her target's handsome grandson, am I right? And theories are theories, fanfic buddy! Keep going ;) And would you hate a Besky break up? Would ya? Huh. Okay ;)) Anyway, thanks for your review as always, fanfic buddy!**

 **So enjoy this chapter! Drop a review as always!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own MBAV or its characters. The only thing I own is Sky Bryans, any other characters you may not notice, and this plot, since it is one of my best, if I do say so myself *winks***

 **Side note: Listen to 'Origin of Symmetry'. By far the best Muse album I've ever listened to. Though, opinions differ (small disclaimer there :P)**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 11: Life's A Fairytale

* * *

Benny woke up on the ground, his head pounding. He rubbed his eyes, and blinked widely, trying to bear his surroundings.

He didn't see much other than a plain of green grass and a castle in the distance. Before the castle was a dark forest, with more branches than leaves. It had seemed as if a dark shadow loomed overtop of the forest, and it looked like it was the only shadow-like area in the whole land.

Benny also had the opportunity to see that the clothes he once wore were now changed into a black suit, with puffed up sleeves. He had blue strings of silk lining the delicate designs of the suit, and he had brown shoes with small designs on it as well.

He blinked again, and the darkness in his visions dimmed a bit. He took a shaky breath and stood up, rubbing his head a bit. His hair was tangled and was a big mess, but he ignored it as he stood and circled around, observing his surroundings.

"Hello?" Benny asked, his voice scratchy and raw. He tried his best to remember things before turning up at this strange place, but all he thought up was familiar voices, the blue eyes of his girlfriend, and a gust of wind.

Now that he thought of it, if he remembered Sky, that meant she _has_ to be here, right?

"Sky?" Benny yelled, turning around to walk a few steps forward before instantly tripping on a heavy object on the ground.

He grunted, balancing himself as he picked up the object, observing it as the light reflected off its blade.

It seemed to be some sort of sword, and its handle matched the designs on his suit. He twirled it around a bit, smiling a little as he grasped onto it tightly.

"Perhaps I'll need this..." Benny murmured to himself, tucking the sword away into his belt and continued to walk around the grassy plains.

"Benny?"

He perked up at the sound of his name, and turned around to see Sky, in a pale blue dress with glass slippers. She wore a small crown, that was a bit lopsided, but the smile she wore sparkled more than the jewels she wore.

"Sky!" Benny exclaimed, running towards her and giving her a huge hug. Sky smiled, and hugged him tightly.

"Oh my god, Benny, I'm so glad you're okay!" Sky whispered, still hugging him. "I thought I lost you to whatever was controlling your mind! I remember your times hypnotized, so maybe I had every right to be worried."

"I'm not in my right mind all the time, huh?" Benny replied back, still in her embrace. Sky giggled, and they pulled apart a bit, though their noses barely touched.

They continued to stare at each other dreamily, before Benny snapped out of it.

"So, where in Thor's name are we?" Benny asked, and Sky shrugged.

"I dunno, I was kind of hoping it was one of those situations that you did a spell by accident, it backfired, and know we have to fix it."

Benny rolled his eyes, and Sky added hastily, "Though I don't exactly think that is the case, isn't it?"

Benny placed a hand on his heart jokingly. "Swear on all the stars above."

"Well, I guess we are going to have to investigate this place, huh?" Sky said with a sigh. "By the looks of that castle in the distance, and our clothes, I think it's safe to say that we are in some sort of...fairytale realm? Like, a place where all the fairytales we know and love come to life and what not?"

"Wow, how original." Benny said with a smirk. "Sounds like that one story where a group of teens go to some fairytale realm and try and escape the many fairytales in order to stop a villain."

"Is that the one with the two sequel books that are not really needed, but kind of okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Man that story's been going on forever."

"I know!"

"Off topic!" Sky said, waving her arms as Benny chuckled.

"Alright then." Benny said, before adding, "The one thing I still don't understand is who put us here?"

As if on cue, a streak of thunder crackled in the air, and they all jumped back in surprise.

 _ **"You have entered my realm!"**_ A familiar voice rang out. _**"You've entered a place that I have twisted to be my own! Everything is manipulated in favour of me, and the only time that it's all over is when you all are DEAD!"**_

"Talia." Benny gritted out, the name like poison on his tongue. "I can't believe it. I actually remember some of the things she said when bringing me up to the attic."

He looked at the blonde spellmaster, fear evident in his eyes.

"This is the endgame, Sky." Benny whispered. "This is the end, and only one of us can win."

Sky gulped, shakily grabbing Benny's hand.

"And we're completely alone."

* * *

Evelyn paced the floor as Ethan, Sarah, Rory and Erica came dashing into the Weir residence. She blew out a sigh of relief as she placed the book on the table, the pages yellow and aged, ripped at the seams and the ends of the leather corners.

"You guys are here!" Evelyn said, her words in a panicked rush. "I don't know what happened, but I knew one thing is for sure; you guys would definitely know how to get right to the bottom of this and find out where Benny and Sky had went."

"So, m'am," Rory said, sitting Evelyn on the couch, talking in a kind of western accent. "We're going to need to know everything you know up 'till the scene of the crime."

Erica rolled her eyes, nudging her boyfriend off to the side and sat beside Evelyn. Rory let out a little "oof!" and Sarah giggled a bit, sitting on the loveseat opposite of them with Ethan. Evelyn took a few breaths, and began to retell the story, leaving out the bits where Sky and her got in a bit of conflict.

"So that's it?" Erica asked. "You found the book in the attic, a trail of pink dust, and some accessories that they own?"

Sarah nodded, leaning back on the seat. "I have to agree, it's not much to go on."

"I mean, unless they are _in_ the book."

Everyone turned to Rory, their eyes widened.

"What do you mean 'in the book'?" Ethan asked quizzically. "That's a bit...off, don't you think?"

"Well, I mean, it's not _that_ far off." Erica pointed out. "I mean, there _was_ a book and a trail of pink dust. Do you think someone could've put them in the book? There has to be some sort of spell that supports that theory."

"There are at least a page's worth of spells dedicated to putting people into books, televisions, video games -"

"Trust me when I say Benny and I know about the video game one." Rory interrupted with a chuckle. "Playing Mortal Kombat was pretty cool, especially when I was fighting Scorpion -"

"Wait, Benny put you _into_ a video game?" Evelyn demanded.

"Uhhhh...no?" Rory squeaked, and Evelyn rolled her eyes.

"So they could be in the book..." Sarah trailed off, before adding, "Okay, but there might be magic still traced on the book. We could get sucked into the book, or, even worse, the fairytale characters could come into our world!"

"Reminds me of that one book -"

"Shut up, Rory," Erica exaggerated, cutting him off with a kiss on the cheek. "We need to focus."

Still dazed, Rory manages to stay silent.

"There's only one way to find out." Ethan said, and he reached to open the book before anyone could protest.

Everyone flinched, and covered their eyes -

"Nothing?" Rory said, throwing his hands onto the couch's surface. "Dammit, I thought there'd at least be an explosion or something."

"I guess that means there are no traces of magic that can suck us into the fairytale world!" Sarah said with a grin. "That has to be a plus, right?"

"What a plus would be is some food, to be honest." Erica said, her stomach rumbling. "I actually haven't ate in a while, if you know what I mean."

She winked, and Ethan shuddered.

"Are you implying that we leave our friends in this book while you guys go on a blood run?"

"Well, she is right, Ethie." Sarah said. "We actually haven't feasted on anything for a while. Maybe a day or two, since we were trying out that new - unsuccessful - blood diet."

Rory grinned. "Yeah, now that ended, I can go back to the usual; rat sprinkled in chocolate sprinkles and blood!"

Ethan gagged, and Evelyn nodded solemnly.

"I think that may be best for us to have a little break." Evelyn said to the teenagers. "I think the plan is pretty simple anyway; we get in that book, help them get out with the help of some spells, and get them back here as soon as possible. Sound good?"

Everyone nodded, and Evelyn clapped her hands.

"Good!" she said happily. "You guys go on a little blood run, and Ethan will help me brew up a potion that can help summon a safe portal to and from the book! It may take a while - hours, or even a day - but I think we should get started if we want the spell done by midnight tonight."

"Looks like we're pulling off an all nighter, huh?" Rory said with a smile. "Do you want me to bring marshmallows?"

"I'm gonna need an extra cup of coffee with a blood shot or something." Sarah muttered, and Ethan just laughed, kissing her cheek.

"Time to get to work, gang." Ethan said determinedly.

* * *

Benny and Sky stood in front of the dark forest, looking at the tall trees, that cast shadows over their heads.

"So we're getting to the castle to find Talia, but we have to go through this dark and scary forest to get to it?" Sky said, voice thick with annoyance. "Well, that is definitely not cliched at all. This is going to be so exciting - sarcasm intended..."

"Do you hear that?" Benny asked, but his voice is muffled by Sky's complaining.

"I actually find this a bit low of Talia, if you know what I mean. Like, she is ending us once and for all - or so she thinks, because we are definitely much better than her - but at the same time, I think I'm a bit disappointed that'd she twist how fair this game would be as she manipulates the game to favor her..."

"I think that's a baby crying -" Benny tried again, but he watched, concerned, as Sky was now pacing the ground, stepping on her blue dress every now and then.

"Benny, I am not a baby, nor am I crying. I am just expressing an opinion on this. She had a perfect opportunity to end us in a better way, and, though this is admittingly creative, I wished that she could've made it in Whitechapel, for a more personal touch. She could've had the pleasure of killing us in front of our friends, but no! She makes us isolated in this place. I mean, if I was a villain, I would definitely do that. Though, I guess she was thinking about ending us with none of our friends around us, forcing them to watch and be helpless, which I guess I can appreciate. This villain stuff is hard stuff? Makes me have a small appreciation for villainous plots in the movies -"

"Sky!" Benny yelled.

Sky stopped, a bit startled as Benny placed a hand on her mouth gently.

"I think I hear a baby crying." he repeated.

"For the last time, Benny," Sky squiggled out of his grasp. "I'm not being a crybaby about this, I'm just stating my opinion -"

"No, Sky, a legitimate baby!"

Sky stayed quiet for a minute, and then she heard it. The loud screech of a child, and they quickly strayed from the path they were in until they found the source of the noise, hidden in a bush of roses and thorns.

A baby laid there, in a basket. A small sticky note was attached to the brown basket, but the thing the two noticed about the baby was the familiar features.

It was a girl - they definitely knew that much. She had a ruffle of blonde hair on her head, with sterling blue eyes, that were wide with fear. She had soft, pale skin, and she was wrapped in a blanket. The baby was shivering, and a gust of wind went through her hair.

"Oh my god, she's freezing!" Sky said, picking up the baby and cradling her in her arms. The baby stopped crying, and went to cooing at a new face. Benny on the other hand, picked up the sticky note.

The writing was messy, but still decipherable. If he was right, Talia wrote this, but it looked rushed, even if its cursive gave it an elegant touch.

 _hEre iS yOuR weApon. the fairytale's fAte is up to yOu. TiMe has stopped, but noT for lOng. reTuRn thE Baby, beFore i put a new curse, and a new fairytaLe will take Place._ _don't cower away, thousands of kids will depend On you._

 _you have 'till the clock striKes twelvE, cinderella to cross the Thorns of Truth, as I like to call my creation. Enchanting, no? It helps new couples ;)_

 _kisses!_

 _-Shadow_

 _P.S- I suggest you keep this note. In case you do manage to defeat me, consider this a final clue ;)_

"That's Sleeping Beauty." Benny whispered in shock. "We must be in Sleeping Beauty!"

"Explaining the forest?"

"She put it here." Benny explained. "She calls it 'The Thorns of Truth', which makes me cringe."

"Isn't she ruining the fairytale?" Sky asked, letting baby Aurora suck her finger. "I mean, the baby shower is still going on. The fairytale will crumble if the main character is even there to be cursed to start with."

"She said she stopped time, and we have until twelve midnight to stop her." Benny said. "Meaning we need to get to the castle quick, because, according to this pocket watch, it's already eight."

"Convenient pocket watch," Sky smirked.

"Hey! It came with the outfit."

"Which you look stunning in, if I dare say."

They smile at each other, before Sky's attention goes back to the baby.

"She has your hair and eyes, Sky." Benny said, cooing over the baby. "They sparkle, just like yours."

"She has your skin, that's for sure." Sky replies. "Soft and pale."

The two continue to look at the baby, and Benny whispered a spell and sprinkled fairy dust onto her face, letting baby Aurora squeal in delight. Sky giggled as Benny blew some on her nose, the dust dribbling down her blue dress and onto the black soil, where it disappeared.

Seeing this must've got them back on track, and they began to fulfill their mission; taking the baby back into the castle and to stop Talia.

* * *

"It's been hours." Benny moaned, sitting in the heart of the forest. The baby started to cry again, and Sky nodded, sitting on a rock to remove the many branches out of her hair. The ends of her blue dress were torn at the hems from tripping all those rocks and getting tangled from all those twigs.

"I think I am starting to run out of spells for baby food, since Aurora here isn't liking my magically made baby formulas." Sky said, throwing yet another baby bottle onto the ground, right behind the trail of baby bottles - all either full or empty - that scattered throughout their route.

"She needs her mom's milk." Benny said. "And you can't really provide that right now."

"True." Sky said, combing her hands through her tangled hair. "Plus, after that wolf attack, I don't think anyone could squeeze milk outta me. I'm surprised we managed to get all of us safe."

"It was definitely a close call." Benny said, before adding, "Though I am coming out with yet another scar."

He pointed to the line of red blood scratched into his arm, and Sky's eyes widened.

"You didn't let me see that before." Sky said in concern, as she motioned him to sit beside her, and examined his wound.

"I don't exactly know why I told you," Benny said, wincing as Sky applied a bit of pressure to stop the small amount of bleeding. "I knew you would freak out and go all Doctor Sky on me. Plus, I didn't really want to trigger you or anything -"

"Trigger me?" Sky echoed. "Trigger how?"

"Well, because you used to cut as well." Benny said bluntly.

Sky was taken back at how strict Benny's voice was.

"Are you mad at me?"

"I don't exactly know why I said that either." Benny said, ignoring the question.

"She did call this forest 'The Thorns of Truth', and I guess she meant there will be a lot of thorns and a lot of...truths?"

"Or maybe that's what she wants us to think..." Benny pondered, before Sky cradled the baby in her arms quietly.

"You take it so easily, you know?" Benny whispered. "You used to cut, you used to be depressed before I even met you, and let's not even try to remember when you lost Mark. It's scary, and I...I don't know how you manage it nowadays. You act like it isn't even there."

"I was diagnosed with depression way before I met you, and you know that." Sky said, equally as quiet. "And you knew the reasons why I self-harmed myself. But you have to remember I still have my therapist to go to whenever I need to, and the doctors said I am completely fine. I take anti-depressants in the morning, but that's it."

She then added feebly, "And I have a lot to live for. It wouldn't be worth it going back to the same person I was when you found me in the janitor's closet."

Benny took a deep breath; he could feel the familiar feeling of the moments before a vision, or whatever they are. His breathing sped up, along with his heart, and the world began to blur around him speedily. He blinked widely, stumbling up.

"Benny, oh my god, did I do something -"

* * *

 _the boy screamed as he watched his grandma fall to the ground. blood soaked the floor. the black creature flew above her as she slowly blinked. the boy ran to her side, going down on his knees and holding her head in his hand, crying._

 _"i-i'm, sorry," she wheezed. "i-i'm sorry i never told you the truth -"_

 _"but i will." the black creature growled as she died in his arms. "i will tell you -"_

 _he transformed into a face that he recognized. he paled as he shakily got on his feet._

 _"everything." he said with an evil grin._

* * *

"NO!" Benny screamed, falling to his knees and thrashing on the ground. Sky's eyes widen as she held the baby in her two arms. She was helpless; she didn't know what to do, and she was clueless to try and find the reason he was crying.

"Benny!" she yelled, the baby's cries drowning in his yells. "Benny, snap out of it!"

"Why?!" Benny continue to scream. "Why did you do it?! Why is this happening?!"

"I don't know, Benny, I just need you to _calm your shit!"_

Sky's screams shut up both Benny and the baby. The baby cowered in Sky's chest, and Sky saw the shattered pocket watch near Benny's chest. It was already ten o'clock, and they had two hours before Talia would win without them even fighting in the beginning.

Benny whimpered on his place on the ground. Sky gently put the baby back in the basket, and set it aside as she helped Benny up. He sobbed loudly, and shook in Sky's grasp. As he sat down on the rock, Sky sang to him - and the baby, if she could be honest.

She sang Muse until the baby was sleeping, and Benny's whimpers had soften.

"What happened, Benny?" she whispered. "You need to tell me everything right now."

"We have to go, Sky," Benny cut her off. "It's almost midnight."

"I don't give a damn if it's midnight, and I don't give ten craps if the children in the world can't hear Sleeping Beauty the same way! You are seriously freaking me out Benny, and this isn't even the first time it happened! You told me about your 'visions', and I know that situation, but you've been keeping things from me, and you and I know that! Now stop beating around the bush and tell me what the hell is wrong with you!"

"I saw Talia!"

Sky skipped a breath.

"Y-You... _what?_ "

"I saw Talia." Benny said. "She got in a car accident, and after the 'Liam Harley' incident, I got a text from her to go to the hospital. She didn't hurt me or anything. Actually, she needed my help to find the person who hit her, since she received some warning. I went, and I decided to help her."

"Why the _hell_ did you decide to help her?!" Sky practically screamed, but lowered her voice when she heard the baby stir a bit.

"She said she'd help me remember!"

"Remember what?!"

"My past!" Benny said at last. "The things I've been having visions of. I think I've been seeing things from the past. Ethan and Rory said it was either trauma or some puberty thing, but it's affecting me! It's physically and mentally exhausting!"

"Remind me why you never told me?!" Sky asked, a bit more quieter, but still harshly.

"Because I didn't think it was a big deal!"

"Well it obviously is!"

"You don't think I know that, Sky?!" Benny yelled back.

"Why didn't you tell me you were with Talia, or what happened to her? That could've been really important to what's happening, and -"

"Because she sincerely wanted help!" Benny interrupted. "She made me swear not to tell anyone, and I thought it wasn't that important!"

"It's _Talia!"_ Sky yelled. "Of course it's important!"

"When you guys went to the space thing, I was with Talia! You know I wanted to be there, but I thought that I could go undercover and see if there was something going on. She lead me to the middle of some forest blindfolded, and I saw her little hideout, which was some sort of big tree house. And we were talking, and she had a vision. The same visions that I have; of the past. I think it has something to do with trauma, or someone brain-wiped me, or something like that."

Sky bit her lip to stop her from screaming. This all happened behind her back, and she never knew it. She sat down on the rock beside the baby, who she was trying to keep asleep while Benny was telling his story.

"She said something after that - I think it was a person - but everything started going blurrier from there. The room grew dark, and I heard familiar voices. Talia was screaming apologies, and I blacked out completely, only hearing Talia and some other guy's voice. That's how she kidnapped me at the pretend school shooting."

"So you're telling me you met up with Talia, totally ditched us for her, and she was _apologizing?!"_

"I'm sorry!" Benny yelled. "I tried to tell you, but -"

"But what?!" Sky snapped. "I swear, Benny, I am so mad at you right now -"

"Can you please calm down! I was in a very bad position then, and -"

"Dammit Benny! You always make it about you!" Sky yelled, her pale blue dress slightly ripped as Benny threw his sword on the ground in frustration.

"Maybe because it's true! She wants me, not you! You don't matter to him! It's not worth it!" he roared back at her. Sky threw up her hands in the air as she sobbed.

"It is, Benny!" She protested. "In our relationship, it's about both of us!" Benny couldn't take it anymore.

"Then maybe this relationship isn't working out!" He snapped, instantly regretting it as Sky cried in shock. She just shook her head as she fled into the depths of the forest, leaving a single glass slipper beside Benny, who couldn't help but cry.

* * *

Ethan, Sarah, Rory and Erica jumped through the portal and right in front of the dark forest.

"Where are we?" Erica muttered.

"Look!" Ethan pointed to the ground. Sarah picked up the small baby bottle to see a bunch of others.

"I think they were here." Rory said.

"Then let's go!" Ethan exclaimed, and the four of them ran into the forest, not looking back.

* * *

 _The moon rose a little higher; one more hour 'till midnight._

 _And victory._

* * *

 **A/N- Was that a bit short? Sorry not sorry :P**

 **Reviews are love!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	12. For Every Princess and Prince

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Geez was this a long time coming. But it's up, and it is coming! Hey; didn't promise that I wouldn't take forever on this one as well. Just saying, y'all, I think that I deserve a hi-five for actually remembering the password to this account, considering I haven't been** **productive lately. (aside from some super amazing stuff I hope you guys love in the future...?)**

 **But that's enough with that self-pity, let's get to what everyone really wants: the chapter! :P**

 **Recap: Benny and Sky are in this fairytale realm, and there is a baby! This baby is apparently baby Aurora, who is missing from the baby shower in Sleeping Beauty! If this baby is not returned, Talia will ruin the fairytale for millions of** **kids, throwing off Disney, probably, and she will end Benny and Sky! They also found this note (which I totally forgot about, so I had to spend ten minutes figuring it out again, since I lost the note that I wrote the solution on. Doh.) that might be important...? I dunno, solve it if you want :P But more importantly, they got in this huge fight, and Sky left Benny and the baby. Ouch! Now the two are separated; what will it mean? You'll find out here!**

 **Shoutouts to my fave:**

 **MBAV fan66- I guess I see your point! Hopefully nobody will have a rough time...or they probably will, since this is me writing the story. Let's be honest, guys, you know me! :P But I am glad you are enjoying and theorizing, fanfic buddy! In due time ;) This story on the other hand is getting really long. Oh well! Anyway, love you always, fanfic buddy, and thank you for your review :)**

 **I hope this was worth the wait/anxiety! Have fun reading the last part to the mid-season finale and drop a review! :)**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 12: For Every Princess and Prince

* * *

Benny sat on the rock, tears running down his face. He was upset, he wasn't going to lie. He had the biggest fight with the girl he loved, and she had stormed off _without the baby_ and now Aurora was crying. Running his hand through his hair and singing lullabies through sobs didn't seem to help either.

 _'What am I going to do now...'_ he thought sullenly, elbows on his knees. It was less than an hour now until Talia decided to ruin Sleeping Beauty and potentially destroy them. And now that Benny was without his other half, he didn't know how he would face Talia on his own.

Suddenly, the bushes rattled. Benny jumped at the noise, holding the baby's basket handle tightly in his hand. His grip still on the handle, he picked up the basket with Aurora in it and walked towards the bushes that had moved.

"Hello?" Benny called out. "If it's you, Sky, I need to talk to you. I'm sorry for what I said; I was mad, and I didn't mean it."

Silence followed, and Benny just sighed.

"Please, Sky." he begged. "Let's try and talk this out like mature adults. Not like you're not mature or anything, or that we're even adults, but you know what I mean. It never hurts to start again, right?" More silence. He feebly added, "Don't give me the silent treatment."

"But I should do what you did to her, right, Weir?"

Benny winced visibly at the voice, putting the baby carefully on the ground. She came out as soon she said the words, and Benny wanted to kick himself for being so careless in where he stopped, mentally slapping himself for forgetting what he had to still.

Because here was Talia - the enemy he and Sky should be battling right now - standing right in front of him.

She wore a long black dress to match her raven black hair. A black jade necklace hung from her neck, and black sparks were grazing the tips of her black gloves. Her boots were laced above her knee, and a smirk was painted on her face.

"Fuck you." Benny yelled, pointing at her accusingly, walking up to her and pinning her on a tree, taking her by surprise. Sky would've scolded him for being so careless with what he said in front of the baby, but, at this point, Benny didn't give a crap anymore.

"If you insist." Talia replied smoothly, her grin like the Cheshire cat.

"You and your _fucking_ 'Thorns of Truth'!" Benny ignored her comment, his words hitting her face. "You can't just kill me, can you? You are so fucking selfish, you need more than that! You need to ruin everything for me, then watch me burn! _YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"_

Talia winced at every word, but brushed it off with a sly grin.

"Well, Weir, I think that is what the definition of a villain is, huh?" She laughed. "I think I fit into that stereotype quite well if I do say so myself. Plus, this forest never brought out the truth in anyone; _you did._ And, as I expected, you made sure that you served the title of this forest well."

"I fucking knew it." Benny gritted out.

"Obviously not." Talia snarkily replied.

"You are the reason for everything." Benny said, taking a sharp stick off the ground and pressing it against Talia's chest. She closed her eyes at the sudden pain, a red stain of blood blooming in the chest of her dress, soaking the middle and dribbling down the fabric. "You are the reason I feel pain, sorrow, and you are the reason everything in my life is falling apart."

Talia remained silent as Benny continued to scream.

"You are not even evil anymore! You are just annoying! You are the one person who is ruining my life for no reason at all, and I won't have it anymore! That's it! You aren't going to hurt anyone I love anymore, and you aren't going to anymore. That's it! With or without Sky, you are going down, and boy will I love for your blood to be on my hands."

Benny was breathing heavily now, a fire in his eyes. He didn't even realize it, but Talia was smiling.

"You're him." Talia whispered, the wound on her chest closing into nothing, leaving a stain of blood on her black dress as she pushed Benny back.

"What?" Benny asked, a bit surprised.

"Can't you hear yourself, Benny?" she said with a grin. "You're _evil_."

Benny was astonished, as if everything he just said was now washed out with a new perspective. When he said nothing more, Talia continued.

"You are as evil as me, Weir. You're everything _he_ is; a cold-hearted, washed-away failure. You care for nobody, however you try to defend yourself. You just don't care anymore. It's like you will do anything to watch me die."

Benny's heart sank; she was right. She was right about everything.

Talia took his silence as a victory.

"You are just like him." Talia said with a sly smile.

"Who?!" Benny yelled in frustration. "Who the hell is this 'he' you've been telling me about?! I'm sick of your cryptic riddles! Can't you just give me a straight forward answer for once?! _For once,_ give me at least an answer!"

" _He_ ," Talia said. "is your brother."

Benny nearly stopped breathing. Everything in the forest was quiet. The baby had stopped crying, and Benny was crying. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop the tears down his face. Talia seemed unfazed by his performance.

"I..." Benny closed his eyes. "You're lying."

"You caught me. I am lying." Talia said, raising her hands innocently. "Just because you guys had the same dad makes you _half brothers,_ I guess. After all, only one of you had the _Oblivion spellmaster_ as your mother."

" _YOU'RE LYING!"_ Benny screamed words he didn't even know he had. "You are a fucking liar! Just wait 'till I kill you! I will rip every part of your being out of you, and I will make you die an extremely painful death! More painful from when you killed me, but there'll be a fucking twist; _you're not going to come back!"_

Silence followed, and Benny looked at his hands. There was blood from where he cut Talia, the blood once seeping through the fabric and fell on his hands. He was ashamed, and mad at himself, mostly.

 _This is what Sky left him for._

 _He knew why now._

 _Everyone should leave him._

"You know what you are?" Talia asked. Tears ran down Benny's cheek, and Talia just cut his cheek with her nail, making a thin trail of blood dribble down his face that mixed with his salty tears.

" _You're a monster."_

" _SHUT UP!_ " Benny yelled, collapsing on the ground and on his knees. Tears was falling down onto his hands as he grasped the dirt beneath him. "Be quiet! You are the monster! I am the hero! You are just the villain trying to convince me so! _YOU'RE EVIL!_ "

"You can't stop what you are." Talia said, her hand extended as magic flowed from her hand and out of her gloves. " _You just have to embrace it."_

The bolt of magic hit Benny before he could react, and he just accepted darkness; that's all he was now.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes 'till midnight._

"Benny?" Sky said to pretty much nothing as she tried to find her way back to where she left him. "Benny, I'm sorry, I want to talk to you."

Silence followed. Sky groaned.

"Please, Benny." she begged. "Let's try and talk this out like mature adults. Not like you're not mature or anything, or that we're even adults, but you know what I mean. It never hurts to start again, right?" More silence. She feebly added, "Don't give me the silent treatment."

She finally found the heart of the forest, and was shocked at what she found.

On the ground was Aurora, who was still crying. Sky picked her up in a hurry, and cradled her in her arms. She stopped crying, but was whimpering, as if she saw something terrifying. Sky looked around for anything else, and that's when saw it.

Blood. There was blood on the ground, on the tree, and on the rock. It wasn't a lot, but Sky could tell whose it was.

"Benny..." she whispered, her worry growing.

"Sky?!"

She turned around, ready to attack, but lowered her guard and smiled when she saw who it was.

"Ethan?"

And there was more; Ethan, Sarah, Rory and Erica came out of the shadows, and Sarah ran to give Sky a huge hug. Sky was careful, since she was holding Aurora, but she hugged them tightly as well, since everyone got in on the hug.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked frantically. "What happened? Where's Benny?"

"And what is with the baby?" Rory asked, and that's when everyone saw Aurora. "She looks just like you and Benny. Hair like yours, and sparkly eyes, even if they are purple, like yours. And her skin is uncannily like Benny's..."

"Someone got busy." Erica smirked.

Sky blushed madly. "S-She's not mine. She is Aurora."

"Cute name."

"I didn't have a baby, Erica." Sky huffed, rolling her eyes, though secretly appreciating that she was there to make remarks like that. "It's Princess Aurora. Like, from Sleeping Beauty? Talia got her out of her fairytale and into our hands, and we have until midnight - in thirty minutes - to get her back before she destroys us and the fairytale, probably destroying this whole place, along with all of us. We had to cross this forest to get to wherever Talia was."

"Okay," Sarah said, "but that doesn't explain where Benny is. Or why you're crying."

"Am I crying?" Sky laughed a bit, wiping her eyes. "I guess I am."

"Why is the question." Rory said with a sad smile. "Are you okay?"

"It's...complicated." Sky finally said.

"Sky, do we look like the kind of people who don't understand what complicated is?" Erica asked with a smirk. "If anyone in the world knows anything about being 'complicated' it's definitely us. So spill the beans, Bryans."

Sky sighed, sitting on the rock.

"Benny and I had a fight." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Turns out he was seeing Talia. And not in the romantic way, though it was just as worse. There were...things he's seen. Like Talia apologizing for things -"

"Talia actually said sorry?" Rory interrupted, before Erica nudged him.

" - and the fact she was in a car crash. Apparently, he was helping him. When he couldn't go to the NASA field trip, he was with Talia. They've been having...visions. Visions of the past, he told me, and he never said anything to me. It was all a trap, and he never told me. He's been having these things for so long..."

"Yeah, just like the first time before the time you got drunk." Rory said, before Ethan nudged him.

"Rory!"

"Can everyone stop hitting Rory?!"

"You guys knew?!" Sky yelled. "You guys knew that Benny was having these...vision things?!"

"It only happened a few times when he was with us, and we figured it was just an aftermath of you hypnotizing him." Ethan explained. "And when he was talking about what he saw after fainting when talking about gift-shopping, we just figured it was a relapse thing."

"You should've told me." Sky said, running her hands through her hair, clearly frustrated. "You should've fucking told me."

"Calm down, Sky." Sarah said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Sky took a deep breath, and mumbled a 'sorry'. Ethan nodded.

"But that doesn't explain where Benny is." Erica said.

"I ran off after our fight." Sky said meekly. "I came back to apologize, but he isn't here. I figured he walked off, but his blood is on the ground. I think...I think Talia was here."

"That would explain the delicious smell." Erica said with a small smile. The gang looked at her, and she shrugged, saying, "Well, all blood smells good."

"You think you can have a vision of where he is?" Sky asked, looking at Ethan.

He shrugged. "I can try."

Ethan knelt on the ground, his friends giving him space. He touched the speckles of blood - presumably Benny's - on the dirt, and his sigh turned white.

* * *

 _*flash*_

 _"You're a monster."_

 _"SHUT UP!" Benny yelled, collapsing on the ground and on his knees. Tears was falling down onto his hands as he grasped the dirt beneath him. "Be quiet! You are the monster! I am the hero! You are just the villain trying to convince me so! YOU'RE EVIL!"_

 _"You can't stop what you are." Talia said, her hand extended as magic flowed from her hand and out of her gloves. "You just have to embrace it."_

 _The bolt of magic hit Benny before he could react, and he just accepted darkness; that's all he was now._

 _*flash*_

 _"Kill them." Talia whispered to Benny, who was lying on a bed, almost like he was in a coma. "Embrace the darkness and kill them. You are only going to hurt then, so use that evil inside of you and finish the job, since it's the only thing you can do. They hate you, anyway. Nothing to lose, Weir."_

 _Benny mutters 'yes' under his breath, a tear running down his cheek._

 _*flash*_

 _Sky kissing Benny, and dark shadows flying out of Benny and surrounding him, before dimming out._

 _*flash*_

 _A big explosion of magic, and a pile of ashes._

 _*flash*_

* * *

Ethan gasped, nearly losing balance and stumbling off his feet. Sarah caught him as he stood back up.

"Talia." he breathed out. Sky's breath nearly stopped. "They fought. She said some pretty nasty stuff, and I think she is trying to turn Benny evil with hypnosis."

Erica rolled her eyes. "Wow, what a surprise."

This time, Sarah gave Erica the sharp look, which shut her up promptly.

"But speaking of surprises, all can be saved when Sky kisses Benny. Then there was a big explosion, but I assume that is for later, and I hope it means victory or something. So yeah, just kiss him and he'll be fine. You are literally kissing his demons away."

"Poetic." Sky said flatly.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rory took the baby. "Let's zoom this baby back to Talia."

Without warning, he sped off.

"Should we really leave Rory in the hands of a baby?" Sarah asked.

"Hey!" Erica interjected. "Don't judge my boyfriend."

Ethan, Sarah and Sky just looked at her, and Erica rolled her eyes, grabbing Ethan's arm.

"Let's go, dorks."

She sped off with Ethan, and following Ethan's very "manly" scream, Sarah grabbed Sky by the arm, sharing a small smile, and speeding off to find them.

* * *

They sped all the way out of the forest and into a clearing, where they were greeted with a green field of flowers.

"Pretty." Rory said, touching the baby's nose. "And so are you!"

"Ugh." Erica said, rolling her eyes. "Barf."

"I might actually barf." Ethan said, groaning. "Erica, please slow down next time. I swear, everything is spinning. It wouldn't hurt to not act as the Flash, no matter how cool he is? Just for the sake of my stomach's contents not falling out as vomit."

"Grow a pair, Morgan." Erica said, crossing her arms. "Last time I checked, there were no speeding tickets in this...realm."

"Hey, Sky!" Rory interrupted their banter as Sky and Sarah arrived. "If you have a baby with Benny, I want to be an uncle!"

"Don't you have to be related to her?" Ethan pointed out, but Sky just smiled.

"You are all going to be aunts and uncles; related or not." Sky said, grinning at the thought. "I always wanted kids. I talked about it to Benny once. Wanted a kid with my hair, but his eyes. Maybe a girl. Besky, perhaps, since that name seemed to stick before."

Rory giggled, and Sarah smiled as well.

Suddenly, three spots of light appeared in front of them. The gang came closer together, protecting the baby, but when they saw who fluttered down, they were quiet surprised.

"Aren't those the fairies from Sleeping Beauty?" Sarah asked, surprised.

"Yes we are!" The red fairy said. "It is very nice to meet you; though the events may seem to contradict that."

"You tell me, sister." Erica muttered, and Sarah just elbowed her. Erica huffed. "I was just saying what I think."

The blue fairy took Aurora from Rory's hands.

"Thank you for returning the princess. The lady before was worse than Maleficent." The green fairy shuddered at the thought when the blue fairy said those words. "Hopefully she doesn't come back, or that'll be distressful..."

As if on cue, thunder sounded and lightening struck the grass. The fairies were separated from the gang, and two silhouettes appeared from the shadows.

"Something tells me we are going to be distressed." Rory said, groaning.

"You." Sky whispered under her breath, staring at the people in front of her. " _What did you do to him?!_ "

Because standing in front of them was a smirking Talia, and a black-eyed Benny.

"I made him realize the truth, Skylar." Talia said, watching Benny's still form. "I made him realize what he actually is."

"He's nothing but a hero, Talia." Ethan spoke up. "You are the villain. I don't see why you need any more help, so fight us like fairly!"

"Ethan, sorry to break it to you, but villains don't fight fairly." Talia snickered. "This isn't the kindergarten playground, and nobody is going to be holding your hand like a little baby, hun. Unfortunately, your six-year old mindset won't help you."

Sarah's fangs popped out, and she lunged at Talia.

The battle began when Benny swiftly moved in front of Talia, eyes pitch black, and grabbed Sarah's arm tightly. She screamed out in pain, and Benny, face contorted with an indescribable pain, twisted it and threw her to the side.

"You'll pay for that, Weir." Sarah growled, standing up and brushing the dirt off her legs and going for him. Talia smiled in the background, the three fairies behind her, but Erica grabbed Sarah's arm, pulling her back.

"Sarah, remember who the villain is, 'kay?" Erica said, eyes yellow in rage, but a serene look in her face. Sarah nodded, facing Talia as she, Erica and Rory went for Talia.

Ethan and Sky went for Benny, who had tears down his face. In the times that Benny had ever been hypnotized, this was the one where Sky saw the pain behind his clouded eyes. It was as if he was aware of his actions, but had no choice but to act on them.

"Benny, please calm down." Ethan whispered, standing towards the still boy, hearing the pained grunts of the vampires as they took on Talia. "I know you are aware of what's happening, so please, put your hand down, and help us defeat Talia. She is the villain. Not you."

 _"I'm a monster."_ Benny spoke, his voice low, but cracking ever so slightly. Sky winced at the words; Benny was falling in a tunnel of despair, and she didn't know if she could get him out anymore.

"Y-You're not a monster, Benny." Sky sobbed, hating the fear in her voice. "She's the monster, and she's controlling you.

" _I'm a monster_." he repeated. _"You all hate me, and you should. I am as evil as he is."_

Ethan and Sky exchanged looks at the cryptic message, but they ignore it as Benny swings an unexpected punch at Ethan's head. Ethan fell back, moaning in pain as Sky closed her eyes, not wanting to fight him.

"I don't want to hurt you, Benny."

 _"The only thing I can do is hurt you."_ Benny muttered, and Sky actually trembles at his voice; it's demonic, and all the joy once in it has vanished. _"I can't do anything but hurt you. I can't stop who I am. I have to embrace it."_

Benny swung another punch at Sky this time, more tears running down his face. Sky wanted to cry too, but she knew that she had to stay strong. She dodged the punch, and Ethan brought himself up to his feet and tackled Benny to the ground.

 _"Let go, Ethan."_ Benny sounded like he was pleading. Sweat beaded against both boys' foreheads as Ethan pinned his hands to the ground. Ethan tried to avoid looking at the demonic black eyes that replaced Benny's once green eyes. _"I'll only hurt you. I'm a monster."_

"Snap out of it, B." Ethan whispered. "You are no monster. You're my friend."

Benny rolled Ethan off, tackling him to the ground, and now the positions were switched. Benny was on top of Ethan, an evil in his eyes, pinning him to the ground. Ethan grunted in pain, trying to break free of the strength Benn now had.

Sky pulled Benny off Ethan, and smirked.

"I always knew you were a bottom, Ethan."

"Shut up, Sky," Ethan was blushing. "Not the time for sex-lives."

Sky rolled her eyes, facing Benny, whose cheeks were stained with tear marks.

"Benny, please listen to me. I love you so much. I love you, I love you, _I love you."_

 _"You can't love me. I'm a monster."_

Sky just sighed and pulled Benny into a kiss, and shadows surrounded the couple. Sky could barely see Benny's face in the midst of the shadows, but struggled to not lose sight of him. The black in Benny's eyes dimmed out with the shadows, the green returning. Sky smiled behind the kiss, but realized one thing.

They would never be the green that once was.

"Sky." Benny murmured.

"Hey." Sky said with a small smile.

Ethan stood up, smiling.

"You too never cease to amaze me."

"I have to go." Benny whispered, pulling back from Sky and marching to Talia, who was on the ground, bruised and battered by the vampires. Ethan whistled lowly as the fairies blocked Aurora's eyes from such a horrid sight. Sky looked at the fairies, and they nodded, handing Aurora to Sky. She didn't know why, but she wanted to hold Aurora. Maybe its as because she reminded her of a child that Benny and Sky could have. But, for some strange reason, it felt right.

"You guys did quite the number on her, didn't you." Ethan asked. The vampires just shrugged.

"Pent up anger, Ethie." Sarah said, kicking Talia again.

They walked to Ethan, Sky and Benny, and the two spellmasters stood in front Talia, who stood up.

"You're a monster, Benny." she maniacally growled. "You're a monster!"

"I don't need you to remind me." Benny muttered, and Sky winced at that. "It's over, Talia."

The chime of twelve bells rang in the distance, and Talia bit her lip from screaming.

She had lost.

"This is you endgame." Sky said, holding Benny's hand as a beam of black began to glow. "This is the end, Talia. Your end, and not ours. Not something you wanted, now was it? Was it worth everything? _To lose?"_

 _"YOU CAN'T EVER DEFEAT ME!"_

Benny smiled determinedly, and whispered the spell. Sky grasped onto his shoulder, holding him close as she carried the baby in her arms. The baby cried, and the three fairies - one dressed in red, blue and green gowns - stood behind the villain of all their problems, staring at them in shock. Ethan, Sarah, Rory and Erica stood behind the couple, also in shock.

 _"YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN ANYWAY, WEIR!"_ The villain screeched _"YOU KNOW WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF! HE'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY!"_

"Oh it's over," Benny said. "And you are never going to hurt my family again."

A shot of magic blasted from his hand, and hit the raven-haired girl in the chest. She screamed, her body dissolving. Her hair grew bright orange, and she exploded in a cascade of white.

 _"IT'S NEVER OVER!"_ she screams." _I'LL BE BACK! AND YOU'LL PAY!"_

She's gone, and the boy and girl exchange looks, glancing at the baby.

"She's gone." she whispers to the baby. "She's gone."

Benny said a spell, and as Sky handed the baby to the fairies, Aurora cooed.

"Sky." she whispered.

Sky broke out into a smile, and let the pink mist swallow her whole.

She was going home,  
but things wouldn't be the same ever again.

* * *

 _She grasps onto a cliff, looking up at the shadowed figure looming above her._

 _"Well don't just stand there!" she screams, knowing no one but him can hear her. "I screwed up, I know, but we can still fix this! Just bring me back before I fall, and we will end them once and for all!"_

 _The figure smirks._

 _"I think that was your last time, mother."_

 _The girl's eyes widen, and memories flood back when the boy extends his hand._

 _"You..." she murmurs. "This whole time, it wasn't them...it was you."_

 _"Yes," He stomps her foot on her hand, and she lets go of the cliff's edge, screaming in agony as she falls into the endless dark abyss below her._

 _"Me." he says with a mischievous laugh, and drives away in a red, old car._

* * *

They got home safely, but without a word. Ethan, Sarah, Erica and Rory went home, and Benny volunteered to walk Sky home. She didn't put up a fight, but she didn't want to anyway. She wasn't sure what happened in that fairytale realm, but she knew it would change things.

They walked in silence, before Sky decided to break it.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Don't talk to me." Benny muttered, not making eye contact.

"Benny, we need to talk eventually." she protested, speeding up to his side. "You are my boyfriend, B. We tell each other everything. So you need to tell me what happened between you and Talia before -"

"You aren't my girlfriend anymore, are you." Benny snapped.

Sky stopped in her tracks. Benny looked at her, and saw tears.

"Benny, I know you didn't mean what you said." Sky said calmly, trying not to break down in tears. "Please tell me you didn't actually mean that. Benny, you are my only light, and I need you. I need you so much, please don't leave me."

"I don't deserve someone like you." Benny growled lowly. "I'm a monster."

" _STOP SAYING THAT!"_ Sky suddenly screamed. "You are not a monster! You are mine! I love you so much, Benny Weir, and whatever Talia said to you isn't real! You aren't a monster, Benny. Please, you can't fall in the same dark hole I did. You're my boyfriend -"

"You didn't hear what I said, Sky!" Benny yelled, angry now. "You didn't see what I looked like! I had a fire in my eyes. It wasn't about good beating evil, Sky. It was about me getting revenge. It was me being psychotic! I wasn't a hero, or your boyfriend, or your friend. _I was a monster_."

"Benny, I don't care what happened with you and Talia -"

"But I do!" Benny interrupted her, crying. He was shaking, and looked like he was having a panic attack, which he haven't had since he was a kid. "I care! She was right about everything! I am the fucking villain! I-I..."

And he sprinted off.

Sky was shocked, and she wanted to go back for him. But she saw her parents at the door, and realized she was at her house.

He was leading her on, and she didn't even realize it. He brought her to her house, even if she didn't want to.

"Sky?" her mom asked. "Are you okay?"

She looked at her mom, and then at her dad, and wiped her cheeks.

"I'm fine."

* * *

 _As Benny walked back, hands in his pockets, a white being suddenly appeared._

 _"What the hell -"_

 _It was a woman, skin peeling, and dress ripped and broken. Her veil hung over her face, and her makeup was dragged down her cheeks, her mascara dripping. She was a pale white, and almost translucent._

 _"You're coming with me." she whispered ghostly._

 _And with a shriek, Benny was taken away again, in the arms of a ghost bride._

* * *

 **A/N- Surprise :P**

 **Anyway, drop a review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	13. You May Kiss The Dead Bride

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN with another chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **These updates are going by better than I anticipated! I am so glad! Like, this is the most updates I've done in a while, and it really motivates me to do so much more, so enjoy this little streak before I go for my procrastinating ways again ;)**

 **Anyway, this chapter is basically a continuation of the ending of the mid-season special. Benny and Sky's relationship has taken a tumble, suspicions against Evelyn and Benny's past have been placed, and Benny has been taken away by some ghost bride?! WHAT?! Sometimes, I wonder why I make these things so harrowing; it's hard enough for me to say that about my OTP :P**

 **This chapter is kind of a filler (since the next chapter will be less action but _way_ more plot development) but is suspenseful nonetheless. With Benny being taken by that peeled-face ghost, it's up to the gang to save him from (spoilers :P) becoming her ghostly spouse. Why? I will let you figure out ;)**

 **Shoutouts to my favorite reviewer,**

 **MBAV fan66- Yes, fanfic buddy! YASS! That is exactly the aim I was going for. I am glad you pointed that out. And poor Benny, huh? Lots of stuff being dumped on him *looks away with no regret* But hopefully all changes soon, am I right? That 'soon' may look like it's far though, especially for the next couple of chapters. You ready? I ready :P I'd probably have a heart attack if I saw a ghost bride with peeling skin. But maybe I can be her ghostly bridesmaid :P Anyway, thanks for the review as always, fanfic buddy :)**

 **So enjoy this chapter! I worked real hard on it, and it is the last one you will see for a while :P**

 **Drop a review, and...**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 13: You May Kiss The Dead Bride

* * *

Benny woke up in a room of webs and thick mist. The air was thin, and Benny found it hard to breathe. When he blinked widely, he could see the surroundings of an old chapel, with curtains ripped and mosaic windows shattered in the edges. There was barely an light, other than the colors illuminating through the broken window. Benny could squint and see an altar, and empty, scratched pews.

He realized he wasn't bound to anything, but didn't find any sense to run away. Instead, he decided to explore the place a bit.

Walking down the aisle, Benny gulped at the sudden eeriness of an organ playing the 'Wedding March.' Benny continued to walk the aisle, his clothes suddenly disappearing into the mist and being replaced with a black, torn tux. He didn't even notice, and his mind was beginning to fog up.

"Where the hell am I..." Benny whispered to himself, playing with the ends of his sleeves.

 _"Hello, mi amour."_

Benny turned around, as if in slow motion, to see an almost identical version of Sky. Her hair fell in golden locks to her shoulders, and they were curled at the ends. She had piercing blue eyes, unlike Sky's soft, gentle ones.

But there was one major difference; she looked dead.

Her piercing blue eyes had purple bags underneath them, with mascara dripping down her cheeks. Her pale skin was grey and peeling off her face and arms. She wore a white dress that had tainted dark grey edges, and rips at the seam. She looked as if her wedding had just happened, and something went terribly, _terribly_ wrong.

She looked at him through the veil, tilting her head a bit too far to be normal. Benny shuddered.

"Who..." For some reason, he struggled to say words. "Who...are...you?"

 _"Bryanna...Skies."_ she whispered.

"Why did you bring me here?" Benny asked quietly. "There are so many people out there you could've stolen to be your...er... _husband._ Why did you choose me out of all people? What am I to you? And dammit, I'm eighteen, and you're, like, five hundred."

 _"It's rude to ask a lady her age."_ the ghost whispered, swirling around Benny. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, adding, _"And I'm 416, honey."_

He gulped, feeling the wind against his cheek.

He felt cold.

"Why am I here." he asked, more demanding this time.

" _Because, mi amour,_ " she said with a smile against her cold, purple lips. _"I only go for the ones who can't love anymore. He never truly loved me, since his emotions were too strong. I must find someone whose love has disappeared. Who can no longer show emotion. Who can no longer love."_

Benny felt like his world was going to explode. He couldn't love anymore. He lost the love he held with Sky, and this ghost bride was telling him that he ruined it. He began to cry, collapsing onto the old, wooden planks of the chapel. When his knees hit the ground, a cloud of dust surrounded the impact. Benny cried.

 _"Oh, mi amour."_ the ghost bride said, looking down at him in pity almost. _"What do you feel right now?"_

"Sad." Benny answered against his will. "Sad, angry, upset, confused, guilty."

 _"Tell me, mi amour."_ she continued to speak. _"Are those emotions helpful? Love should be nothing but happiness, love, and you should be agreeable, no?"_

Benny didn't know how to answer her. The answer was conflicting; sure, that's what love _should_ be about, but it wasn't really what love _was,_ or what it could ever be.

He looked up at her, and that's when it hit him. Literally.

A trail of white dust came out of Benny's forehead, and he screamed. Bryanna's hand was extended, collecting the dust as it collided into the palm of her hand. Benny closed his eyes, feeling pain, and a surge of emotions -

Then it stopped.

Emotionless, he stood up, like a robot ready to be programmed.

 _"Now, mi amour,_ " Bryanna whispered with a smile. _"What do you feel?"_

When Benny's expression didn't change, she knew she did it.

 _"Be a dear a fix up."_ the ghost said over wedding bells. _"The ceremony starts soon, and I feel...happy."_

Eyes blank and face pale, Benny felt colder, and walked to the back of the church silently.

He felt nothing anymore.

* * *

Sky looked at the clock in the classroom, tapping the pencil at the end of the desk as they learned more about Canada's confederation, and so many wars, that Sky began to lose track. She still had fifteen more minutes until class ended, but it felt like fifteen hours.

A piece of paper was thrown from behind her. She turned around to see Ethan, whose eyes travelled to where the ball of paper went.

She snuck a glance at the teacher, who was busy reading, and quickly picked it up. She unfolded it, and read it quietly in her mind.

 _hey, you good? i didn't see benny since the whole fairytale thing, but i remember you guys had a pretty nasty fight. you can always talk to me; you know that, right?_

Sky smiled, and turned it over to write on the back. She dropped the paper on the ground, and Ethan picked it up, reading it.

 _thanks, e. i haven't talked to him since then either. i actually haven't seen him, but he's probably trying to ignore me. i know him; he always runs away from his problems._

The conversations continued.

 _sky, you are being a bit harsh._

 _ethan, you don't understand. what he said the night before he left..._ Sky's pencil trailed off for a while, and she recounted the words he had said to her. She shuddered at the memory, and finished the note.

 _he sounded serious. he said he was a monster. i honestly think talia changed him. he needs help._

 _he can't get any if you don't help him, sky. you're his help._

Sky read the letter as the bell rang, and she and Ethan escaped the class before the teacher could give them homework. She walked away from Ethan as fast as she could, but Ethan caught up to her at her locker.

"Sky, you need to stop running away from him. Something is obviously up with him; I haven't seen him so upset in a long time."

"You talking about Benny?"

Sky and Ethan jumped, and then saw Rory.

"Y-Yeah." Sky stuttered, still recovering from the jump-scare. "You should wear a bell or something, Rors."

"Anyway, I haven't seen Benny at all today, and he was supposed to be my wrestling partner!" Rory exclaimed. "Like, I know he doesn't like wrestling in front of a tough vampire like me, but Steven didn't appreciate no one being able to sneak a healing potion in his water. On the bright side, his neck didn't break, and I'm passing with an 90 in PE for the first time! Hopefully no restraining order, though..."

Sky and Ethan rolled their eyes, and when the bell rang, Sky walked away from the two boys as fast as she could, not looking back.

Ethan, however, chased after her.

"Sky, please take my advice. You need to talk to him. He must be as miserable as you are."

Sky turned around to face Ethan, his hand brushing against her shoulder.

"Ethan, I know how much you care, but we are on complicated terms right now, so maybe it's good we have some space -"

Ethan suddenly felt a surge of power, taking in a breath as his eyes turned white -

* * *

 _*flash*_

 _moans of pleasure. a drift of blonde hair. the gleam of emerald eyes. the motel bed squeaking. laughter. beautiful laughter._

 _*flash*_

 _blonde hair. green eyes. pale skin. a soft cry._

 _*flash*_

 _"benny, you can't shut me out again, especially since i am -"_

 _"i don't love anyone." he whispered. "i was never loved in the beginning."_

* * *

Ethan jumped back, and he watched as Sky's eyes widen.

"Did you just have a vision -"

And now its as Ethan's turn to walk away, trying to shake the images out of his head.

"Ethan!" Sky called after him, trying to catch him in the crowds.

But the swarm of students swallowed him whole, and Sky just shook her head, walking to class with a sigh.

* * *

"One grande caramel macchiato, please." Sky said quietly, not paying attention the the blonde barista. Her mind was scattered; it's lunch, and she still hadn't seen Benny. Even if she was mad at him, she was worried that he would do something stupid.

"For Sky?" the barista asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, thanks -" Sky suddenly paused, looking up to see a familiar face.

"Erica?"

"Hey, Sky." Erica said with a smile, taking Sky's five dollars and slipping it through the cashier. She winked, nodding over to an empty booth. Sky nodded with a smile, and she sat down on the soft chairs.

Minutes later, Erica came around with her own coffee travel mug and a mug of Sky's order, and sat opposite of her.

"So, you're out of school for the first time in forever." Erica said, sipping from her mug. "Didn't decide to sit with the three nerd-e-teers for once?"

"No." Sky chuckled, stirring her drink. "Mainly because one isn't here."

"Who?" Erica asked dumbly, even if she knew the answer.

"Benny." she whispered quietly. "We had a fight, and he said some...things that I never thought I'd hear him say. And, if I can be honest, it was the most scariest thing I've ever heard from him. He was crying, and shaking, and I don't know if he can handle it anymore."

"Handle what?" Erica pushed. "Sky, you're about to bust. You need to let some of this out; you can't be dealing with this on your own. I'm your friend, Sky, and I know what happens when people explode. You don't want an explosion."

"That's what happened with Benny." she admitted. "He said he was having these visions. Visions of the past, he said. Of what he thinks is his parents, or something that he can't really decipher. And, apparently, Talia had some too. Before she died, Benny was secretly visiting her. It was scary enough that he never told me what was happening to him, but the encounter he had in the woods with Talia...changed him somehow. He said he was a monster."

"I don't think this is in his right mind." Erica said, leaning back in the chair. "He could've been brainwashed or something."

"No, he was definitely thinking his own thoughts." Sky pointed out. "He was shaking and he was on the verge of having a panic attack. I never thought he even suffered from anxiety, but this seemed that he was dealing with things he never told me about."

Erica opened her mouth to say something, but before she could speak, the doors bust open. They turned around to see Ethan, Sarah, and Rory at the door.

"Guys?" Erica asked, standing up. "What do you guys need?"

"It's Benny." Ethan said. "I just had a vision. He's with some dead bride, and we need to go get him. Now."

Sky and Erica exchanged looks, but they nodded. Erica told someone to cover for her shift, and she and Sky walked out the door, their conversation still hanging in the air.

Sky had a lot of questions at this rate.

* * *

"So you're saying Benny got kidnapped by a ghost bride?" Sky asked, sitting on Ethan's couch.

"I told you, I was walking down his street, and just had a vision when I stepped on his watch." Ethan replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose, clearly stressed. "There was this girl with skin peeling and a bridal gown. And they just disappeared."

"Mental image much?" Erica gagged. "I didn't want to know."

"Okay, now that we know that, did you see where she took him?" Sarah asked, crossing her legs on the couch.

Ethan scrunched up his face as he thought for a few seconds.

"Um, I saw a chapel. Like, an old one. It had broken windows and a sign saying '1628.' I don't know exactly where though. Sorry."

"S'fine. We can work with that." Sky said rather confidently. She glanced at Rory, and he seemed to get the message, grabbing his laptop on the coffee table and started typing words down in his browser. "Did you see anything else? Specifically when you had a vision of me at school today?"

Ethan's breath hitched. He knew Sky was going to ask him eventually, but he didn't particularly want to answer.

"U-Uh, I-I..."

"C'mon, E, spit it out. It honestly can't be that bad."

Ethan nodded, pacing his breath. It was such an awkward and touchy discussion, but he guessed he had to say it eventually.

"Well, I didn't really _see_ much, but more like _hear -"_

Rory suddenly looked up from his laptop.

"Okay, I think I know where the chapel is."

Everyone crowded around the blonde vampire, including Ethan. Sky narrowed her eyes in his direction, catching his glance. He looked at her apologetically, shrugging, and Sky just sighed, walking over to see what the fuss was about.

"Well, according to Google, the only chapel in Whitechapel constructed in 1628 is the one down Old Valley Street. It's been closed off for about thirty years after a fire burned down the building, killing off a whole crowd for a wedding; including the groom, Weirton Benjamin, and the bride, Bryanna Skies. This was until 1658, where the reconstructed some of it, but some force knocked it down. It didn't destroy it all, but it did some serious damage. It's been closed off ever since, but kept there for historic reasons."

"What was so important about the chapel?" Erica asked curiously.

Rory scrolled down on the page until he reached an article about the history of the chapel. He clicked it, and read aloud.

"It says here that Weirton Benjamin and Bryanna Skies was a young couple; Weirton was 30, born in 1598, and Bryanna was 28, born in 1600. They were going to get married in the chapel called St. Valentine's Cathedral, which was a chapel recently constructed in 1628. They were going to be the first couple to go and get married. Beautiful structure, apparently, and it was the earliest churches to have mosaic windows in Whitechapel, since there weren't many artists in Whitechapel before that church. Most of them were just wood and stone."

"Interesting." Ethan said. "Go on."

"Anyway, Weirton and Bryanna were going to get married. Happy couple. Everyone said so. But Weirton was not happy. Bryanna was actually very controlling, and had a belief that marriage was not meant for emotions other than happiness, love, and they both have to be agreeable and compromise with each other. Sounds very innocent, but that meant that Bryanna controlled almost everything that Weirton did. It was a very unhealthy relationship."

"Boo hoo." Erica muttered. They all looked at her, and she just coughed awkwardly.

"Going on." Rory deadpanned. Erica just faked a smile.

"So on the day of the wedding, when Bryanna's huge family there, Weirton's family, and some of the Whitechapel residents. See, Weirton was rich, which was why Bryanna asked his hand in marriage. But when it came to the 'I do's, he said 'I don't.' Bryanna got furious, and Weirton calmly told him they weren't really soulmates, and their relationship was built on lies."

"Ouch." Sarah winced.

"Needless to say, Brianna got mad. Really mad. She got so mad, in fact, that she burnt down the whole chapel, with her family, his family, several members of the community, the priest, and Weirton. Unfortunately, she didn't get out in time, and she died as well. They tried to reconstruct it in 1658, but some mysterious force knocked it to the ground, pretty much making it impossible to fix, due to dangerous conditions; three construction workers died in a small fire. The windows were shattered, and the thing was abandoned ever since then."

"Sounds like a horror movie that Whitechapel would make up." Ethan said flatly.

"But apparently, it's true." Sky said, showing her phone to everyone. "I just searched up the bride. Ethan, does Bryanna look familiar to you?"

"To be honest, she looks like you." Sarah pointed out, peering at the picture.

"It's true." Rory said. "Same hair, same eyes, same figure. She looks like she could be your grandma."

"Flattering." Sky deadpanned. "You're basically calling me someone's crazy bitch."

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, Weirton looks like Benny." Rory said, flashing his screen her way. "Looks like you two were meant to be the psycho couple they were back in the day, if you you know what I mean. Am I right?"

He raised the hand for the hi-five, but Sky just looked at him with a look of "are you serious right now?" and he lowered it sheepishly.

"That's her." Ethan said, looking closer. "That's her without peeling skin and runny mascara."

"Every girl's prom nightmare." Erica shuddered.

"Hey, you know, some people say that Bryanna's ghost was the one who made it impossible to fix the place. Weirton passed on, but Bryanna could never rest in peace after what Weirton did to her. They say her spirit haunts the chapel, and she goes for those who are no longer able to love. " Sarah reads from Rory's laptop.

"Why would she take Benny then?" Rory asked.

Everyone looked at Sky, and she just stood up, running her hands through her hair.

"Who cares. She's a fucking ghost." Sky muttered, grabbing her sunglasses from the coffee table "We've handled with worse forms of supernatural madness; I think we can play ghostbusters on this one."

* * *

"This place is pretty fucked up." Erica said, kicking some rubble from a dusty debris out of her way. "Looks like nobody's been here for years; wonder why they still keep it as a tourist place."

"Well, this place ain't up for show and tell, if you know what I mean." Ethan replied.

"I swear, it's like the sunshine and heat is going everywhere _but_ this place. Kind of like a permanent cloud over our this chapel; it's completely devoid of any light whatsoever. Kind of depressing, not gonna lie." Rory said, looking around the place.

Sky shuddered when she touched the brass knob of the door. It was cold.

"It's cold; I wish I wore jeans." Sarah said, and Ethan shrugged.

"I think the view from here looks just fine." he said dreamily.

"How rude," Sky said with a smirk. "We're in a church."

Ethan rolled his eyes, and they all walked in.

The church was cold and small; windows were smashed, with tiny mosaics letting in a small amount of coloured light through torn curtains and carpet. The wood was cracked, and the altar was dusty and broken. An old pile of communion was placed by the dusty holy water near the rusty tabernacle. A broken chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the wooden pews were chipped with small piles of ash. A out of tune organ was on the side, and the echoes of 'The Wedding March' played in the church.

 _"Everyone in their seats; the ceremony is to begin."_

Everyone jumped at the eerie voice, and they scattered to the side. They saw a girl at the door; someone they didn't notice earlier. Her mascara was running down her face, her skin was peeling, and her veil was ripped and burnt at the edges. Her dress had black ashes scattered at the ends, but the translucent glow of the girl made it look like nothing.

"That's Bryanna." Ethan whispered.

Suddenly, at the front of the altar, Benny walked in, waiting for Bryanna to walk the aisle.

"Benny..." E muttered, taking off her sunglasses and letting it fall to the floor.

His eyes were black and looked empty. His shoulders were squared as he stood straight, wearing a dusty black tuxedo and a white tie. His hair was gelled down, which was something that even she knew was something he didn't like. Benny looked straight ahead, a dazed look on his face.

"He looks dead." Rory whispered. "Emotionless, even."

"Please don't talk." Sky whispered as she ran out of the chapel. Her friends' eyes widened, and they ran out after her. Bryanna smirked.

Outside, Sky was pacing.

"You good?" Erica asked.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy." Sky said through her gritted teeth as she paced across the top of the staircase. "It's not everyday I see my boyfriend taking a ghost bride's hand in marriage."

"I can't go in there." Sky whispered, tears down her face. "I can't watch this happen."

"Look, Sky, you have to go in there." Ethan said, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her in the eye. "Benny is as broken as you once was, and if you want to fix him, you're going to have to get in there and fight."

Sky looked at Ethan, and wiped the tears that dribbled down her face.

"Okay." she whispered, walking forward.

"You ready?" Sarah asked Sky.

Sky nodded. "I think I am."

Back inside, Bryanna arrived to the front of the altar, a smile on her cold, chapped lips. Benny's face remained the same, but he turned towards Bryanna, a dead look in his eyes.

 _"If anyone can show just cause why this couple cannot lawfully be joined together in matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace"_ Bryanna whispered, her voice barely audible. Her grey eyes ghosted across the empty church.

Silence followed. Sky began held the brass knob of the door, taking a deep breath

 _"So it be -"_

"Wait!" Sky yelled, bursting through the doors of the old chapel, watching as the ghostly bride and Benny - eyes glazed and tux ruffled - separated. Benny glared at Sky, and his friends behind her. The bride turned around, and the priest frowned.

"I object!" she yelled.

 _"WHAT?!"_ Bryanna screamed, her voice a ghostly shriek.

Sky ran towards the altar, and Bryanna growled, pushing the air beside Benny, and a force knocked him off his feet, hitting him in the stomach. Sky watched in horror as he hit the wall, his head crashing into a window. It shattered, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. His head was bleeding, and Ethan, Erica and Sarah ran to him.

"You're going to pay for that, crazy bitch." Sky muttered. "You are messing with the wrong crazy bitch!"

"You go, Sky!" Erica yelled.

 _"YOU SHOULD FEEL NOTHING BUT HAPPY FOR ME!"_ the ghost shrieked. _"YOU SHOULD FEEL HAPPY!"_

She blasted another force of dust towards Sky, and Sky rolled under it, dodging it with breeze. Now on her knees, she looked up and extended an arm.

Sky screamed words in Latin above the howls of the wind, and it blasted the spell towards Bryanna. Unfortunately, Bryanna disappeared, and the spell hit the tabernacle, shattering it to pieces. Sky swore under her breath. Bryanna reappeared and smiled.

 _"One with magic, aren't you?"_ Bryanna whispered evilly as she rose fire from the ground, making it graze the ground in circles and swirls. Sky jumped back as Bryanna howled in laughter. _"Another reason you'll burn in hell!"_

"Not this time, Bryanna."

Sky snapped her fingers, and Rory sped up to her like lightening, grabbing her and circling around Bryanna at high speed. Bryanna was surrounded in wind from the running, and slowly became a mini tornado surrounding her.

"This...is...a...lot...of running!" Rory gritted thought his teeth, carrying Sky in his arms. "I better...get...a...90...in P.E!"

Bryanna blindly shot into the circle of wind, each one missing and hitting a mosaic window.

 _"STOP IT!"_ she shrieked. _"YOU'RE RUINING MY WEDDING DAY!"_

Sky smirked, said the spell again as she threw herself off Rory and, as she soared through the air, a blast of magic emitted from the palm of her hand. This time, it hit Bryanna in the stomach, hitting against her translucent skin.

 _"NOOOOOO!"_ Bryanna shrieked.

A big explosion knocked Sky and Rory off her feet, and all that was left of Bryanna was a small breeze, that blew away the ashes on the ground.

"Well that was something." Rory muttered, wiping the blood off Sky's forehead. Sky smiled.

"Thanks, Vampire Ninja."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed happily.

"Guys, Benny's up, but it's not going too well." Ethan called from the side of the church.

Sky and Rory exchanged looks, and they ran to the other side.

Benny's eyes were blown wide, and they were dilating in fear.

"S-S-Sky -"

* * *

 _crying. green eyes. blonde hair. rosy cheeks._

 _two people, boy and girl, sitting under the stars, child in hand._

 _"i love you for who you are. no matter what your past was."_

 _*flash*_

 _shadows. screams. horror. shrieks. cries._

 _"IT'S OVER!" he screams. "AND YOU'L NEVER HURT MY FAMILY AGAIN!"_

 _"YOU'RE THE MONSTER!" the other screams. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WILL HURT YOUR FAMILY!"_

 _"YOU!"_

* * *

 _"NO!"_ Benny screamed, his hands flying widely, hitting Ethan in the nose. He collapsed back, and Sarah took care of that. Benny's screams continued. "You're the monster! You're the one who is hurting them! Not me! _You!"_

"What's happening to him?" Erica said in fear.

"Everyone step back." Sky mumbled. "He's having a panic attack."

* * *

Benny felt sick.

His vision was blurred, and his heartbeat was racing. All his emotions once sucked away by Bryanna were coming back to him at high speeds. He was shaking. Shaking so violently. Lightheaded and dizzy, he attempted to stand up, but felt someone - Sky? - touch his shoulder. He flung her away.

"Get off me!" he screamed. "Get your fucking arm off me! You'll hurt them! Not me!"

"Benny, calm down. It's me. It's Sky."

 _Sky._ Her voice sounded like she was under water. Benny's breathing didn't get better from there, and hearing her voice made it worse. He was going to die. Those were the only thoughts racing through his head. Death was coming. Black spots appeared in his vision.

"Benny, there's room for you to breathe, okay?"

Benny felt like his ears were plugged.

"Sky..." he heaved. "K-K- _"_

He couldn't finish, but Sky knew what he wanted.

And Sky nodded, and kissed him.

* * *

"Do you want coffee?" Sky asked Benny, who was on the couch.

"Not really, no." Benny answered quietly. "I'd rather my grandma make it. You make better hot chocolate, but your coffees are always a bit too bitter for my liking. This guy likes it sweet, if you know what I mean."

Sky smiled sadly as she sat down beside him.

"No, Benny. I don't think I do."

It's been three hours since Benny's panic attack. The gang had left, and Sky had taken Benny back to his place. His grandma was out, so it was the perfect time to light up the fireplace and talk about what happened.

"I used to have panic attacks when I was little." Benny admitted quietly. "Ethan knew that. He was the only one who knew, other than my grandma. They happened after my..."

He couldn't finish. He gasped a bit for air, feeling lightheaded, and felt as if he was to relapse. Sky rubbed his shoulder, and he continued.

"It happened after my parents died." he whispered.

"Oh, Benny." Sky said, hugging him. Benny smiled behind the hug, tears down his face.

"That's why I was so concerned when I met you, and found out you were depressed." Benny said. "We were both a little broken in the brain area, but none of us needed to die for it."

"Thank you." Sky whispered, head on his shoulder.

She looked at the stars through their window.

"I love you for who you are, no matter what your past." she whispered.

Benny blinked widely, but smiled anyway, as the two continued to watch the stars.

 _I'll tell her._ he thought. _Soon._

* * *

 **A/N- I hoped you like it! New chapter in a few weeks; probably in July, tbh. Busy times for me :P**

 **Drop a review, and thanks for reading!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	14. The Act of Normality

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Summer is actually more complicated than I though; from family problems, to weddings and Ottawa times two, to family members staying over from Las Vegas, to garage sales, to braces, to volunteer opportunities and writing for the Phandom Big Bang _and_ Phandom Little Pop (casual spon :P), things are, I dare say, _more busier than school._ Yeah, my life is that hard :P**

 **But I am trying to cope, as you can tell. I have a new chapter of More Than Friends today, and then next week I have the next chapter to The Blood Moon Effect - a fanfic collab with my fanfic buddy, MBAV fan66 (more casual spon :P), which I hope can be done before I have to go to the wedding - and maybe a Dear MBAV Writers the week after if I tried. But I appreciate you all sticking by me and understanding :)**

 **Anyway, this chapter! This chapter is the last chapter before the three part season finale (that wasn't really mid-season, now that I think of it :P) I can't believe the day has come. But hey, if you actually think about it, it has been a long journey. Three more chapters of this story, and then in September I can start the final book *thinks for a while* Maybe I should just extend this story for as long as I can so I don't have to give up this series :P**

 **The last few chapters are going to be really pushing the plot, but not in a supernatural way, if you know what I mean. You'll know eventually :P**

 **Shoutout time to these lovely reviewers...**

 **Mbavxxxvampy- Thank you! I do try to have the most compelling story lines as I can, since I am always trying to make the plot better and stuff. But thanks for the review, and the compliment; people like you is why I try so hard :P**

 **MBAV fan66- Bridezilla indeed :P And I'm glad you caught the reference, fanfic buddy; was hoping someone did :P Hopefully Ethan doesn't have to see anything else for a while, huh? Well, we'll see about that ;) And thanks, fanfic buddy; glad to have you waiting. Thanks for the review :)**

 **So with that, let's get on with the story, shall we?**

 **Drop a review, and...**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 14: The Act of Normality

* * *

Benny curled up with Sky on his backyard swing, silently looking up at the sky with a smile. He was lying down on the cushions, and Sky was resting right beside him, snuggling against his chest. She looked up at him.

"This is nice." she said with a smile. "A beautiful day, and a beautiful person right beside me."

Benny blushed. "Thanks."

Sky looked at him, her smile falling a bit.

Benny was never the same after what happened with his panic attack, and his so called "visions" were getting worse; he started having nightmares, screaming in the middle of the night. Sky had stayed over, and when they had some alone time, instead of doing what Sky originally wanted, she was coaxing the fear out of him from having a flashback of his past.

He never smiled as much anymore, and his jokes were rarely said. The only person he'd actually talk to properly was Sky, but even then he was a bit more quiet. His eyes had bags underneath, and he has been sleeping in way too much.

 _'It's like he lost the will to...be alive.'_ Sky thought to herself sadly.

"Been real quiet nowadays, huh?" Benny murmurs, snapping Sky out of her thoughts. She nodded hastily.

"Yeah, it has been."

Benny sighs, sitting up, bringing Sky up with him. He looked at her, and Sky saw the sadness buried beneath his small smile. It killed her to see him like this, but she ignored it for the sake of avoiding another disagreement.

"Look, thank you for being so understanding." he whispered, sweeping hair away from her face. "It's been a rough month for me, and you are always there to make me feel better."

Sky smiled at the act of sincerity. "Benny, I'll always understand you. I was in a dark place before you found me, and you did nothing but be kind to me and understand how I felt. And you're my boyfriend; it's my duty to understand you."

Benny smiled at the words. "Means a lot, Sky."

Sky grinned, enjoying the moment before her phone buzzed. She looked at Benny apologetically, before realizing it was a call from an anonymous number. Benny mutters, "Answer it. I'll wait." and Sky nods, thanking him before she went inside to talk.

"Hello?" she says into the phone.

 _"Hello, Skylar."_ someone replied, the voice masked by lots of static and deepened by some sort of machine. _"Been a while."_

"Who is this?" she asks rather nervously.

 _"You saying you don't remember me?"_

"Look, person, I think you have the wrong number." Sky said, hand on her hip.

She could imagine the person smiling on the other side for some reason.

 _"I know your name, don't I, Skylar Alexandra Bryans?"_ the voice says. Sky gulps. _"I know you live in Whitechapel. I know you live on 3829 Crescent Drive, ten minutes away from the WC High, and five minutes away from someone special. I know your friends. And boy do I know your sweet, cry-baby boyfriend."_

Sky paled. "Who the fuck are you, and how _dare_ you tell me these things. I know people, you know! I can track your number!"

 _"People?"_ the person laughed. _"Please. If you're talking about your nerd squad, your 'people' aren't even men yet."_

"Shut up." Sky gritted through clenched teeth. "What the hell do you want from me?"

 _"Just thought I'd ring ya."_ the person says, saying the last word with a sneer. _"It's been a while since you made your decision."_

Sky's thoughts were racing; what the hell was this person talking about?

"I'm hanging up." she said, meaning to actually hang up, but doesn't find the courage to. The person on the other side snickered.

 _"Whatever, Sky. You know I know you; I have ever since you were a kid."_ Sky looked disgusted, like she wanted to throw up. _"How about you start investigating your pathetic boyfriend's family, huh? Or at least, what's left of his family."_

"Don't you talk about him that way!" Sky practically screamed. "You know _nothing_ about my life, you _psychopath!"_

"Sky?" Benny said, popping his head in the house through the backyard window. "You good? You're practically yelling back here."

Sky covered the speakers on her phone and faked a smile.

"Yeah, I'm good, just give me a minute." she said quickly. Benny nodded, and went back outside into the backyard.

When she was sure he left, her attention went back to the person on the phone. When she pressed the phone against her ear, she could hear the person laughing. Anger bubbled up inside her, and it took all her will power not to scream.

 _"Boyfriend scared of being alone for one second, huh?"_

"Look, just leave me alone. I don't even know you; you're probably just a stupid person prank-calling me."

 _"Whatever you say, Skylar."_ the voice said. _"I'll leave. But this isn't the end. You think you brought down some walls? Well, hun, you barely scratched the surface. It won't be long before your little boy-toy breaks, and I will make sure I'm right there to see it. Kisses, darling."_

Before Sky could hang up, the person beat her to it, adding words she never thought she'd hear again.

 _"Oh, I forgot to carry on a tradition; sincerely yours, **Shadow.** "_

Sky's eyes widened as she is met with a dial tone. She hung up the phone with a yelp, dropping it on Benny's wooden floors. The screen cracked, and Sky felt as if she was on the verge of tears; it was back. And now it was threatening her family.

"Sky, you good? I saw you drop your phone from outside." Benny said, running in to catch Sky's shaking body. He picked up the phone and handed it back to a shaken Sky. He looked at her with a frown.

"Are you okay?" he asked again.

"I-I'm fine. Just a stupid prank call." she stammered, getting her stuff and heading for the door. "Look, B, I think I need to go."

Benny frowned. "Okay then. See you tonight?"

Sky smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "Can't wait."

She went out the door and into the summer breeze, heading straight to her house, a knot forming in her stomach.

 _'He can't know.'_ Sky thought to herself, hating herself for lying, and goes straight to her house. _'He's going through enough.'_

Home alone, Sky let her thoughts run for a while, before picking up her cell phone, calling the first person she knew would be able to help her with the whole thing.

* * *

"You wanted to talk?" Ethan asked, standing in the middle of her room. Sky smiled.

"Yeah, I did." she said.

Ethan smirked. "Lemme guess; you had another fight with Benny, and you want to spend a hot night with the _Ethan-nator_."

Sky laughed. "No offense, E, but if I was going to cheat on Benny, I'd try to find someone who isn't in a committed relationship with a human-eating vampire who also happens to be my friend. But thanks for the offer; glad to see you'd actually go for it."

Ethan rolled his eyes, sitting beside her on her bed.

"So what is it?" he questioned curiously.

Sky sighed. "I got a call from someone claiming to be the Shadow at Benny's place."

Ethan's eyes widened, shooting up from the bed. "What the hell? Seriously?"

"Look, I knew you were going to freak out, and that's going to make me freak out, so please, Ethan, _don't freak out._ " she pleaded. Ethan nodded, calming down a little as he sat down again. Sky smiled, saying, "Thank you. This is as confusing for me as it is for you."

"Do you know who this guy is?" he asked.

Sky shook her head. "I told Benny it was a prank-caller, which it might be, but come on, let's be real; no one knows about the Shadow other than us. Why would anyone say that they are the Shadow if Talia is dead?"

"Is there a possibility that Talia _wasn't_ the Shadow?" Sky asked quietly.

Ethan cocked his head forward. "Um, no? The evidence was clear when we found out, and I don't think that Talia would poison Benny for no reason other than having a crush on him. Besides, if Talia wasn't the Shadow, _who is?_ "

Sky thought about it for a while, before she replied.

"I guess you're right." she said quietly, avoiding the question asked. "But that doesn't explain who knew about the Shadow. If that wasn't actually the Shadow on the phone, then who was it? Was it Talia calling from the Oblivion? Did she end up in hell and Satan gave her a chance to call your loved ones?"

The last part was a joke, but Ethan just looked at her incredulously, to which she just coughed awkwardly.

"Plus, this person knew almost everything about me and you guys. The person knew who I was, my full name, my address, and everyone I know. This person seriously freaked me out; I don't think it could just be some practical joke anymore." she said with a shudder.

They sit in silence for a while before something popped in Sky's mind. She looked at Ethan.

"What if Talia wasn't... _alone?_ " she asked.

Ethan's eyes widened. "Impossible. She said that the clone of Shadow was fake at prom. No way there was another _real_ person."

"It makes sense, though." Sky said. "I mean, you have to clone someone to have a clone, right? What if she cloned a partner and faked being alone?"

"It's impossible." Ethan said. "Now that I think of it, maybe it was the clone that called you."

"Under who's control, Ethan?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration as she flopped onto her bed, facing the ceiling. Ethan scooted beside her, looking at the ceiling with her. He sighed, looking at Sky.

"Sky, please calm down." he said.

"I'm sorry, Ethan." she said quietly. "It's just that nothing makes sense anymore. I thought I had it all figured out, but I don't. I thought everything was over with the Shadow, and the cryptic messages, but it _fucking isn't_."

Ethan looked at her, his back against her bed. "This isn't just about the call anymore, is it."

Sky shook her head, fighting off tears. "No. Not really."

She slid up to her headboard, letting her head fall back against the wood. Ethan sat beside her.

"Have you ever thought you knew someone, but really didn't?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

Ethan shrugged. "Depends if you're talking about who I'm thinking about, which I think is _Benny?_ "

Sky nodded sheepishly, and Ethan just sighed.

"You can't stop talking about him for one conversation." he muttered.

"It's not my fault; he's my boyfriend. You'd do the same if it it was Sarah, wouldn't you?"

Ethan crossed his arm. "Touche."

Sky sighed, looking at Ethan.

"It's just that I feel like I don't _know_ him anymore! He's so involved in his own thoughts these days. Ever since his panic attack, it seemed as if any anxiety he once had was now coming back to him. He isn't sleeping, he's having nightmares, and he's -"

"Wait, he isn't sleeping?" Ethan said. "The guy told me he had the best sleep last night."

"Nu-uh." Sky said sadly. "His grandma told me he woke up, screaming at midnight last night."

"That's terrible." Ethan said with a frown. "I guess I do know what you are talking about."

"He's scaring me, Ethan." she said, shaking a bit. "Benny's not the same anymore, and he doesn't have much of a family to go back to. He is always talking down about himself...I don't want him to fall down the same hole I did and not come back up."

"Sky, don't say that." Ethan said, rubbing her shoulder. "Benny has family. He has you and he has us. He has his grandma -"

"Yeah, I'm not to sure about that." she muttered. Ethan frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Sky sighed, standing up to grab her laptop, before sitting back down. She typed in her password and went to some files. She looked at Ethan with a sad eyes.

"Benny's grandma has been acting weird lately." she admitted. "She snapped at me, she lied to me about Benny, and I think she brainwashed Benny into thinking he hadn't seen me the day that we did the disco heist thing."

"Why would she do that? What makes you so sure?"

"His eyes glowed silver, E." Sky explained. "A spellmaster or an Earth Priest/Priestess has a certain color of their magic when performing regular spells. It may not show up often, but the occurrence of color is significant in a timeline of magic in a magical being. For example, mine is usually my eye color; blue. Not always, but sometimes. From what I ever seen of Evelyn doing magic, her stream of magic is most often silver."

"So you think Evelyn did it. Why?"

"I dunno, she seems so suspicious of me. I think she knows I think something is up with her. She refuses to tell me anything lately. I don't even know why; I never did anything to her, but she seems to be hiding something."

"So what does that have to do with anything?"

Sky sighed. "While Benny was sleeping before going on our date the day we were sucked into the fairytale realm, Evelyn told me that Benny was supposed to update her surveillance system. I volunteered to do it, but I took a week's worth of files and put it on my phone. I transferred those files to my laptop the day we got back."

"Sky! Why would you ever decide to do that?"

"I wanted to know what's up, Ethan!"

"I want no part in this."

"Too late." Sky said, clicking play. Ethan sighed, giving up as he watched the footage. Sky sped through most of the stuff, watching Benny come and go in different rooms, playing video games, and hanging out with her and his friends.

They reached the day that Benny and Sky had a date before the fairytale incident. She slowed down the footage, and watched as Benny had a full blown panic attack, looking as if he just experienced something horrible. Sky bit her tongue to keep from crying; this was what Benny saw while she was talking to him.

"Oh my god." Sky said, before she switched the perspective to the hallway. That's when she saw it.

Evelyn was standing at his door, listening to every word. Sky covered her mouth in shock and Ethan's eyes widened.

"She heard everything." Sky whispered. "Oh my god she heard everything I said."

Evelyn seemed to run downstairs when Benny hung up, and Sky watched as Benny wiped his tears as he went outside his room and downstairs.

Evelyn had beat him to the living room, sitting on the couch and reading a newspaper as if nothing happened. Benny came down, and a conversation began. Ethan and Sky listened carefully as if the whole thing was a movie.

 _"Hey, Benny, dear, do you happen to know how to fix up the surveillance camera?" she asked, oblivious to Benny crying. "I mean, they're not broken, but I think it'd be best if they were updated, if that is the proper term. You think you can do it -"_

 _She finally got a close look at Benny, lowering her reading glasses to see tear streaks down his face. Her eyes widened, and she dropped her newspaper and rushed towards him, pulling him into a big hug._

 _"Benny? Are you alright?"_

 _"The amount of times somebody told me that today alone." he chuckled, and both of them went to sit down on the couch._

 _"What's the matter, dear?" she asked gently. "I heard you on the phone with who I assume is Sky. Did you guys get in a fight, or...?"_

 _"No, no. Definitely not." Benny said quietly. Evelyn went to prepare him some special coffee, and Benny continued to speak to her._

 _"I had a vision of some sorts. Of what I think is the past, but I can't be sure."_

"So he did tell her." Sky murmured.

"Shut up; this stuff is good." Ethan said, and Sky rolled her eyes.

"Wait, let me switch perspectives to the kitchen. She went in there."

Ethan nodded, and she pressed a few buttons before the perspective was in the kitchen, where Evelyn was making coffee.

 _Evelyn nearly dropped the mug she was holding._

 _"T-The p-past?" she managed to choke out._

"Pause!" Ethan exclaimed, hitting the space button. Sky looked at him in confusion.

"What?" Sky asked.

"Zoom in to the coffee." Ethan said. Sky complied, and she zoomed in.

"What is there to see?"

"Look." Ethan said. "She's spelling the drink."

She rolled her eyes at the words, but then she sees it; a stream of silver dust flying from her hands and into her coffee. She played the footage again, and then watched as Evelyn put a few pills into the coffee, watching as the pills dissolved almost instantly.

"What the hell is she doing to his coffee?"

"Keep playing it."

"Fine." Sky muttered, adding, "I don't want to see anymore of that bullshit, though."

 _Benny nodded._

 _"It was like I was there." He shuddered. "And I broke down. I feel exhausted; that always happens."_

 _"Did they start getting worse?" Evelyn asked, handing him the mug of coffee. He sipped a bit, and smiled, before continuing on._

 _"They are." he admitted. Evelyn paled. Benny kept going._

 _"I think someone erased my memory as well." Benny said. "Sky came over a few days ago, and she said she saw me, and I wasn't feeling good that day. Problem is, I hadn't seen her at all that day. And she wouldn't lie about it. So that brings me to the question; did we do anything that day? Anything important? All I can remember from that day was Sky seeing me, and me staying in bed all day. And this man in shadows, who did something, but I think that may have been a cartoon..."_

 _"I think you are just hallucinating." she blurts out._

 _Benny raises an eyebrow. "I've had these things since that night Shark disappeared."_

 _"Yes, I know, but it may just be part of your magical system...doing something." she said vaguely, and Benny rose an eyebrow, clearly suspicious._

 _"I'm not convinced." he said firmly._

 _"You don't have to be." she snapped, and Benny was taken back a bit._

 _Evelyn sighed, taking a breath and recollecting herself._

 _"Just drink your coffee and forget it ever happened, alright? If you have any other...visions, please tell me."_

 _The words echo in Benny's mind, and the statement feels more like a command than an act of reassurance. Benny looks at his grandma, still quite suspicious, but mumbles an indecipherable 'okay' and finishes his coffee._

Sky closed her laptop, practically fuming.

"She's lying to him _and_ drugging him!" she exclaimed. "Oh my god, when I get my hands on that bitch -"

"Sky, calm down, I think I have a lead on what was happening with that coffee."

Sky frowned before taking a deep breath.

"Remember when Benny was mentioning that stuff about his coffee? Remember when he said something about 'melato-whatever'?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Well," he said, showing her his phone. "I searched up the thing he said and some other key words such as 'sleep' and 'supplement' since whenever Benny drank the coffee, he fell asleep, and guess what I found."

Sky read off the article on Ethan's phone.

"Melatonin?" Sky asked. "That's something that's in your body. It controls your sleeping and stuff, so that's why you sleep at night; when it's dark, your body produces more melatonin, and you go to sleep more easier rather than sleeping in the day."

"Yeah, you're right. According to this article, there are some supplements to help increase the melatonin produced in your body, therefore helping you sleep. Though it can be safe if used right, it can have side effects including sleepiness during the day, headaches, dizziness, irritability, moments of depression, and cramps."

"That picture of the supplements...that was the same thing she was putting in his coffee!" Sky exclaimed. Ethan nodded.

"She must've lowered the amount of caffeine in the coffee and replacing it with the melatonin so he could sleep whenever he drank it.

"Why would she think he needs more sleep?" Sky said. Ethan shrugged.

"Maybe she knows the reason behind all these visions, and she's trying to get him to gain more energy."

Sky opened the laptop again and sped past more footage before she came to the end. Evelyn was pacing in her room, and she had said something that made Sky particularly intrigued. Her eyes widened, and Ethan looked at her, concerned.

"What happened?" he asked as the footage ended.

"She said that it didn't make sense, Benny's visions." she murmured. "She said it would be more explainable if...if they were visions of the future rather than the past."

"What do you think it means?" Ethan said. "Man, I wish Benny can tell us his visions."

"Do you think...he's like you?"

Ethan paled. "What, a seer?"

"Maybe?" Sky groaned. "I don't even know."

Sky's phone buzzed, and she realized it was almost time for her date with Benny.

"Look, E, I have to get ready for my date with Benny tonight." she said, standing up. "We can talk later. Just don't tell anyone about this stuff. You can tell the vamps if you need to, but don't tell Benny. I'll see if I can find anything out on our date tonight."

"Sky, I thought we were done with the whole secrets stuff." Ethan whined.

Sky sighed. "This is different, Ethan."

Before Ethan left, he looked at Sky.

"Hey, Sky can I ask you something?." Ethan said.

Sky perked up, and looked intrigued. Ethan was about to talk about the vision he had from Sky, but closed his mouth, deciding against it. He sighed, shaking his head and smiling.

"Never mind." he said. "Enjoy your date tonight!"

"I plan on booking a hotel room; maybe Benny and I can score lucky tonight." Sky said with a wink.

Ethan looked at Sky for a few seconds, remembering his vision from her. He shook it out of his head, and just chuckled at the joke.

They said their goodbyes, and he left, leaving Sky to clear all the previous conversations she just had, and the thoughts she was having. She brushed herself off, turning her laptop off, and began to choose an outfit for her date tonight.

She had plans of a different kind for Benny tonight.

* * *

Benny adjusted his tie that laid against his white dress shirt. He smiled in the mirror as he combed his hair to the side, and fixing his grey blazer, while dusting out his jeans. As he slipped on his shoes, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it, Grandma!" he yelled, grabbing his phone and running out of his room. He raced down the stairs and kissed his grandma on the cheek.

"Going out with Sky tonight?" Evelyn asked, her eyes diverting to the door.

"Yeah, I am." he said, grabbing the doorknob. He felt a hand on his arm, and he turned around to see his grandma, looking straight in his eyes. He looked at her, slightly confused, and Evelyn just sighed, shaking Benny's arm reassuringly.

"Just please be careful." she whispered.

Benny frowned. "I will, since I'm with Sky."

Evelyn's hand fell, and the doorbell rang again. Benny's smile returned, and he hugged her again, opening the door to see Sky. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sight of her, and Evelyn smirked at his reaction.

Sky was wearing a slim, red dress, with a ruffle in the middle. Her hair was curled and fell to her shoulders, and she was wearing black heels. She carried a black purse, and her lips were cherry red. Benny gulped.

"H-Hey." he stuttered.

"Hey yourself." Sky said with a smile. She looked behind his back to see Evelyn staring at him.

"Hello, Mrs. Weir." she said slowly, her smile falling a bit.

"Sky." Evelyn grunted, turning on her heel to go to the kitchen. Benny looked at her in confusion and Sky just rolled her eyes, pulling him outside and slamming the door.

"What was that all about?" Benny asked as Sky dragged him into her red car. Sky shrugged.

"I don't even know." Sky muttered. She grinned, and then pulled Benny's tie towards her and kissed him. Benny's eyes were wide open, before he deepened into the kiss with a grin. When they pulled apart, Benny smiled.

"You look beautiful." Benny murmured.

"You too, handsome." She revved up the engine and added, "That's going to look so well tonight."

Benny smirked. "What do you have planned tonight, darling?"

Sky returned the smirk as she drove out of his driveway and began to drive, turning on some music. She looked at Benny with a smile.

"Well, just tell your grandma that you'll be...staying the night after the comedy show at our _five star hotel._ "

Benny grinned. "I'm texting her right now."

* * *

Later in the night, Benny and Sky walked into their hotel room, laughing.

"That was an amazing show, Sky." Benny grinned. "The guy was hilarious. The part about politics was great as well; politics are usually a bit tricky to joke about, but the guy did it in a slightly offensive but funny way."

"Maybe he'll help you with your jokes." she said with a teasing smile. Benny rolled his eyes as they both sat on the bed. He looked around.

"Man, I can't believe you got us this hotel room for the night." Benny said. "There's rose petals on the bed, there's wine in this little bucket thing, and oh my god are those hot towels I see on the table? Move over let me get one."

Sky giggled. "My uncle gave me a little tip. He knew I needed it tonight."

"Tell him thank you." Benny said with a charming smile. He then added shyly, "Why do you think you need it tonight?"

Sky looked at him mischievously and pulled something out of her pocket. Benny's eyes widened.

"What do you think hotel rooms are for, Benny?" she said seductively, waving the condom in front of Benny's face. Benny looked at Sky with the sweetest grin, and Sky's thoughts raced with anticipation and excitement.

 _'I promised E I would talk to him.'_ Sky thought. _'Maybe I should slip in something.'_

"Benny, before we...do this, are you sure you're alright?" Sky whispered, lowering her hand. "I mean, I am all for it, but only if you are."

Benny smiled softly.

"I'm fine, Sky." he said.

"No you're not, B, you don't need to keep saying that." Sky said, raising her voice a bit. "Benny, you really scared me. You aren't fine, you are falling into the same hole as I did when you first met me, and I don't want you to fall alone."

Benny grinned.

"Good thing I won't be alone then." he said with a smile, caressing her cheek.

Sky's smile returns, and she began to kiss Benny, moaning in between breaths. Benny scrambled to rip open the condom package, taking it out and the two fell onto the bed. Benny unzipped Sky's dress, and Sky ripped off his tie.

Their giggles and their moans of pleasure drowned out Sky's worried thoughts in three seconds.

* * *

As they finished, Benny excused himself to throw out the used condom and to exchange the dirty sheets with sheets that Sky brought. He pulled on a robe and headed to the bathroom. Humming a song, he was about to throw the condom out when he realized a major flaw.

"Oh my god." Benny muttered. "No, no, no, no, no."

The condom had a pretty big hole at the end of it, and Benny threw it at the garbage with disgust.

"Surely not." he whispered. "The chances are so slim."

His phone on the bathroom counter buzzed, and, with fear, he slid the new message open.

 _you slut ;))_

 _something your mother would be proud of? i don't know about you, but i say your brother would be a little jealous, now would he?_

 _~shadow_

Benny screamed. Like, actually _screamed._ He threw his phone out the door, and backed up against the wall.

"Benny?!" Sky yelled, running to the bathroom with Benny's phone in his hand and robe covering her body. Benny slumped to the ground, breathing heavily, and rocking back and forth on the bathroom tiles. Sky sat down beside him, rubbing his back.

"Shh, Benny, it's okay. You have room to breathe." she said gently. When he finally calmed down, she asked him what was wrong. With tears in his eyes, he opened his phone. Sky looked at the screen, reading the words, and widening her eyes.

"Oh my goodness..." she murmured.

"It's back." Benny murmured in Sky's shoulder. "It's back and it knows _everything._ "

* * *

 **A/N- And the next episode is the start to the season finale! Oh my gizzle it's finally here.**

 **Drop a review of what you thought of all this new information, and thanks for reading!**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	15. A Trail of Shadows

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with the next chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **So here we are! Part 1 of the season finale! I can't believe it's finally here; I am as excited as I hope you guys are! I mean, let's be real; almost a year running on this story and I'm still not done it? It's about damn time I finish it :P**

 **Anyway, recap on last chapter; it was a pretty domestic chapter, but a lot of plot development has risen. This includes someone claiming to be the long dead Shadow, Benny and Sky having unprotected sex, and Ethan and Sky cracking the mystery of Evelyn and her botched coffee? Things are going up from here, I can promise you that ;)**

 **Before I begin, let's get to shoutouts!  
**

 **fangerdanger6- I'm glad you like the story! I certainly try my best with every single character trait I put into each of the members of Team V, so I am glad that is paying off. It's also great that you like the plot; put a lot of effort into that too :P Anyway, thanks for the review! I hope you continue to enjoy the story :)**

 **MBAV fan66- Well, you know a lot about condoms :P Jk, I appreciate that part of the review; it made me laugh a bit :) And I guess they are! I wonder what's going to happen now, huh? I mean, I know, but you don't! I hope you are ready for this wild ride :) Thanks for the review!**

 **So with that, here it is! Drop a review, and...**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 15: A Trail of Shadows

* * *

Days after the 'hotel incident', Sky found herself in Benny's bathroom, throwing up the dinner that Benny had made for her.

She didn't know how it happened, but it did; Benny had cooked his famous mac n' cheese for her, and she had loved every bite of it. Unfortunately, as Benny was setting up a few blankets for Sky to sleep on, she had felt nauseous. She excused herself, and dashed to the bathroom right on time.

Tears of exhaustion beaded her eyes as she leaned back from the toilet. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

 _'Why can't I just die...,'_ she thought miserably, rubbing her head from a headache that is now pounding in her skull.

A knock came from the door. Her eyes dart in the direction of the sound and she hears a familiar voice.

"Sky?" Benny's voice came from behind the door. "Are you okay? You've been there for quite a while, and I am kind of concerned, since you didn't look to well at the dinner table. I mean, I knew I shouldn't have added those spices..."

Sky smiled a bit, standing up slowly as she flushed the toilet in disgust.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "I just had to fix my hair."

Benny chuckled. "Since when did you care about how your hair looked around me?"

Sky laughed, pulling some mint gum out of her pocket and popping out a piece, chewing it nervously.

"Since a long time, I guess."

Benny paused, before saying, "Alright, then! Are you still going to sleep over? I got a few comfortable pillows and blankets on my bedroom floor - unless you are cool sleeping with me, but I'm going to warn you; I'm a kicker."

Sky faked a laugh, wiping the tears from her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"It's fine, B; I'll sleep on the ground," she finally decided. "I think I have a stomach ache, so whatever I have, I don't want you getting, otherwise you won't be able to cook your delicious mac n' cheese for me."

Benny rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself; just make sure you come out of there with a hazmat suit or something."

Sky laughed again, covering up her scratchy voice, and when she heard Benny leave, she leaned against the door in exhaustion, wiping a bit of sweat. Her stomach growled again, and she clutched it, moaning in pain a bit.

 _'What is my problem?'_ Sky thought to herself. _'I went to the doctor's a few weeks ago, and I wasn't sick. Did I come up with something?'_

She shook her head, denying any popping thoughts and pulled out her phone, figuring she could text Erica to meet her at Lotta Latte tomorrow to ask her about what was happening, along with catching up with her.

As she finished her text and sent it, she realized another has popped up. A bit uneasy about the whole thing, Sky opened it slowly and read it quietly.

 _having some stomach aches, sky? throwing up your bitch's 'famous mac n' cheese'? i mean, i can see why; the nerd cooks terribly. the last time i was there, i nearly threw up his mac n' cheese due to the fact he didn't actually cook the macaroni very well. what an idiot, am i right? i pray he didn't add spices._

 _if it's not that, then perhaps it all leads up to the 'hotel incident' from two weeks ago. i mean, you guys had a busy time; that slut was moaning your name louder than an elephant._

 _i dunno, skylar; something isn't adding up, and i think a trip to the local drug store might test your suspicious, if you catch my drift ;)_

 _kisses, darling._

 _~shadow xx_

Sky looked at the phone in shock, nearly dropping it on the ground for the umpteenth time.

"Holy crap...," she mutters, deleting the text and blocking the number and dashing out the bathroom door and into Benny's room. She looked at Benny's smiling face, and she automatically relaxed, snuggling beside Benny in his bed as he watched old cartoons.

"I thought you didn't want to sleep in my bed tonight?" he asked. "What changed your mind?"

Sky looked at him with a small smile.

"I think I really need you tonight, Benny," she whispered in his neck, cuddling beside him.

Benny smiled, not questioning a thing, and turned off the TV. He pressed a gentle kiss to Sky's forehead and closed his eyes, his arm around Sky. His breathing slowed down, and that was when Sky knew he was drifting off to sleep. She tried to do the same.

Thirty minutes later, Benny was fast asleep, but Sky was still awake. She heard a buzz from her phone, and with a tired yawn, picked it up from Benny's bedside table. She turned it on and to her shock, found another text.

 _thought you could block me, sky? think again; don't you remember all those computer classes we took together?_

 _ah, classes. talking about those makes me miss that crappy high school. it's a shame i'm moving on to a better one to play around with; hopefully you'll come visit me in the office ;)_

 _one of my favorite places in that school was the stage. always had a special place in my heart, if you know what i mean. i think i was born to be in the spotlight, and i soon hope you'll understand why ;)_

 _g'night, skylar; sweet dreams._

 _~shadow xx_

Groaning, she turned off her phone completely, throwing it on the blankets below. She turned to see Benny's peaceful face, and sighed, snuggling a bit deeper into his embrace.

With that, she closed her eyes, and let the dreamland overtake her dark thoughts.

* * *

"So remind me again why we are at school if it isn't even a school day?" Erica asked, walking alongside Sky. She shrugged, ignoring her question as she hastily made her way to the doors to the auditorium. When they got in, she looked at Erica with a sigh.

"Did Ethan tell you anything recently?" she asked quietly, her voice echoing inside the empty auditorium. Erica nodded.

"He told me about that phone call you got from someone claiming to be the Shadow," Erica said, "but I called bullshit on that; we killed Talia in that fairytale realm, and hopefully she's rotting in the Oblivion, so I told him it must've been some stalker in love with you. Kind of how Liam was in love with Ethan so much that he took Benny's body."

Sky groaned. "Don't even remind me about that incident."

Erica smirked as she walked around the empty room, running her hand across the fabric of the rows of seats. She smiled.

"I can't believe you guys are leaving this place soon," Erica said. "I had so much fun here, despite all the shit that came along with it. I mean, bossing around freshmen is always a fun thing, and turning into a vampire was...certainly live-changing, but there was _so_ much supernatural activity in this place. It was like it was the hot-spot for all things abnormal."

"Calm down, Erica; spring break is next week, not graduation," Sky said. "Though I do know what you mean. This place was a magical mess."

"Why are we here again?" Erica asked. "And why did you ask about the Shadow?"

Sky sighed, sitting in one of the empty seats.

"When Benny and I were sleeping over at the hotel -"

"Which went well, I assume?" Erica cut her off. Sky laughed.

"Details later," she promised. Erica nodded in satisfaction, sitting down in the seat beside Sky, listening carefully to every word that she was saying.

"Anyway, when we were at the hotel, and Benny was cleaning up," - Erica smirked, and Sky rolled her eyes - "he got this rather...disturbing text from someone claiming to be the Shadow. And last night, I got two more texts from this person, even when I blocked their number. They said that the stage at WC High was one of their favorite places in the whole school, so I wanted to see if there was any weird things going on here."

"You think you could find the Shadow based off one text?" Erica questioned. Sky shrugged, standing up and making her way down the aisle to the stage.

"It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Sky replied. "I thought this Shadow fiasco was over already, but it clearly isn't. I want to make sure nothing harmful is on our way towards graduation; especially towards Benny, since he has been target to most of the Shadow's wrongdoings."

Erica rolled her eyes, following her up the steps leading to the stage.

"I don't know, Sky," Erica said slowly as Sky looked around the empty stage, moving boxes and props out of the way. "I think you should let this go. We've all had our tough times before and after the death of Talia; especially you and Benny. I really don't want history to repeat itself."

Sky smiled, looking up at Erica.

"I appreciate the concern, Erica, but I think I'd like this case to be put to rest once and for all - aha!"

She pulled out a small piece of paper from behind a wooden box. Erica walked over to her, curious, and Sky looks at the small piece of paper, which was burnt around the edges. She and Erica exchange worried looks, and Sky reads the note aloud.

 _looks like someone is trying to crack the case, huh? i don't know why you are looking at me for answers; why don't you take a break from searching and go ask the one with every answer, especially involving your spellmaster boyfriend? after all, she is already a prime suspect ;)_

 _~shadow_

"What is it talking about?" Erica asked. Sky crumpled the piece of paper in her hand in anger, throwing it to the side.

"You're about to find out," she said, storming off the stage and walking towards the exit. Erica sped to her side, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. She looked at Sky's face, which was contorted with anger, and sighed, fishing something out of her purse.

"By the way, about the text you said last night about throwing up and stuff after the 'hotel incident' that you still need to tell me about," Erica said, pulling something long out of her bag. Sky looked at it in confusion, before her eyes widened.

" _A pregnancy test?_ " she asks in shock. Erica sighed.

"Look, I know this may be extreme, but I really want you to try it out."

Sky looked at Erica, a frown on her face.

"Erica, I am _not_ pregnant," she said sternly. "Benny and I made sure that we were very safe when...doing it."

"I know, Sky, but trust me when I say that you should take it. Just to be sure."

Sky's anger bubbled up. "What the hell do you know about pregnancy, Erica? I'm telling you, I can't be pregnant. It's impossible. I know you are concerned, but I honestly don't think you should be at all. I'm not taking the test."

Erica looked down, clenching her fist.

"I know a hell lot about pregnancy, Sky," she muttered quietly. "I know way more than you'd think."

Sky's anger simmered down when she saw Erica's face, and sighed, grabbing the test out of her hands and pocketing it. She looked at Erica, who's face lit up. Sky rolled her eyes and grabbed Erica's hand, squeezing it.

"Fine, I'll take it. Only since you asked me," she said at last. "Just don't hang yourself over it. I'm glad you care; I'm sorry I snapped."

Erica shook her head with a shrug.

"You're practically my sister; of course I care about you. I love you so much, Sky, and I would hate to see if anything bad happens to you, or Benny. I...I just want to make sure that you are okay, and that everything is fine."

"I know," Sky says softly.

They stand in silence, and Sky straightened up, taking a breath.

"Now come on, Erica," she said with a determined smile, "I'm done asking questions; I'm ready to get some answers."

* * *

"You're seriously not going to waste your Saturday worrying about Sky, are you?" Rory asked, sipping some coffee as they sat down on a couch in Lotta Latte. "I'm telling you, B; it was probably just the spices you used in the mac n' cheese. I told you; never experiment something with food."

Benny rolled his eyes, facing Ethan.

"Come on, E; you have to take my side here," he pleaded. Ethan shrugs, sipping his own coffee.

"I don't know, B. I wasn't even paying attention; my mind is all over the place with the tests that I have to study for before spring break," Ethan said. "But if you're over-thinking as always, I can definitely say that you are overreacting."

Benny sighed, leaning against the couch.

"I'm serious, guys. I am concerned about her. Especially because of what happened at the hotel."

"You never did tell me what happened there." Rory's eyes lit up as soon as he said the words. "Was it the best you ever had? Did you try something new? Ooh! Did the people next door have to bang at your door to tell you to shut up? That always happens with Erica and I, but mostly with her parents."

Ethan gagged at Rory's rant, and Benny blushed.

"Of course it was the best I ever had. It's _Sky_ we're talking about. And no, neighbors weren't pounding at our door, but I am not sure about the 'trying something new' thing, which is mainly the thing I am worried about."

Ethan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Benny sighed, fiddling with his thumbs.

"Remember how I told you about the text Shadow sent me after we...did it?" Ethan and Rory nodded. Benny closed his eyes, the events of that night replaying in his head like a broken record. He looked at his two friends, a mixture of fear and guilt in his eyes.

"Well, before that, I was throwing out the condom, and I realized there was a big hole in it."

Rory's eyes widened. "You guys _were_ busy that night! No wonder you call yourself 'magic man'; your magic practically singed through the condom! Hey, you think you can teach me how to do that sometime? It'd impress the hell out of Erica."

Rory's laugh was drowned out through Ethan's gasps.

"The condom _broke?_ " he asked in disbelief.

Benny nodded wearily, digging his face into the palm of his hands. Rory frowned.

"Oh, is that what happened?" he asked, followed by a nudge from Ethan. Benny moaned.

"What if she's pregnant, Ethan?" he said, fighting off tears. "What if I got her _pregnant?_ She could have a fetus inside of her, before high school even ends! Oh my god, I might be a father. I might be a dad, and I haven't even taken my final exams yet!"

"You're making it sound like being the father of you and Sky's baby is the worst thing in the entire world, B," Rory said. "I mean, it's Sky we're talking about. She is the love of your life, isn't she? I don't know about you, but I'd think it would be killer if I could have babies with Erica."

Benny ran a hand through his hair, clearly stressed and anxious.

"I know that, but you have to understand we're not even done high school. If Sky becomes pregnant, this could throw her whole life off track. I could be the reason she won't aspire to doing something more with her life! Imagine what my grandma would say...oh my god, imagine what her _parents_ would say!"

"Take some breaths, B; you're hyperventilating." Ethan rubbed circles in Benny's back. Benny sighed, standing up.

"I'm going to take a walk. I think I need some fresh air."

Before anyone could protest, Benny walked out of the coffee shop, leaving a bewildered Rory and Ethan behind.

He dug his hands in his jean pockets, making his way through the street when someone appeared in front of him.

Benny yelped, watching as the person dragged him into the back of the coffee house where all the garbage bins were. The person - masked and dressed in black - threw Benny on the ground. He groaned at the pain, looking up at the person.

"Dude, what the hell?" Benny yelled. "Don't make me shoot you!"

The person smirked. "With what gun?"

Benny smiled. "These ones."

Without warning, Benny fired a spell towards the person, assuming that it would daze him enough for him to run out of there and get help from Ethan and Rory.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The person _laughed_ , raising his hands and blocking Benny's spell with a spell of his own. Benny recognized the Latin words as a defense spell that his grandma had taught him, and his eyes widen, realizing that the person in front of him was a _spellmaster._

Before Benny could counter-attack, the person sped towards him with super speed, and Benny saw fangs; this person was also a _vampire?!_

Benny attempted to scream for help, but the person covered his mouth and grinned at Benny's frightened expression. He grabbed Benny's wrist tightly, holding it to his mouth with a pearly white grin. The person laughed again.

 _"Here's a little foreseeing of the future for you; take some lessons, Seer."_

Benny's eyes widened at the revelation, and before he could say anything, the person sunk their fangs in Benny's wrist.

Benny screamed, thrashing at the pain, trying to let go. He felt blood being sucked out of him, and the person released Benny's wrist, throwing him against the wall. Benny huffed in pain, clutching at his wrist as he felt himself go weak.

His vision blurred as the person super sped right into him, smashing into Benny's chest, and Benny heard a crack. He cried in pain.

The person continued to throw punches and kicks to Benny's chest and face, and Benny felt himself lose consciousness at every hit. With every punch he tried to land on the guy, he just failed, and the person punched even harder.

"You," - The man socked him in the nose. - "are _pathetic."_

He kneed Benny in the chest, and Benny reacted to every touch with a grunt of pain. He then used his super strength to lift Benny by the neck, choking him, and pinning him against the wall. Benny gagged, blood dripping onto his clothes, and the vampire/spellmaster smiled, their fangs glowing.

"Hey!"

It was Rory, Ethan, and Sarah - who must've came after Benny left - standing there, blocking the person's escape route. The person smiled, using its super strength to slam Benny into the floor, and laughed once more, flying into the sky before they could do anything.

The last thing Benny saw was Sarah, Rory and Ethan, running up to him, and surrounding him. Their voices seemed as if they were underwater, and Benny let darkness overtake him, watching as their faces disappeared in his vision.

* * *

Evelyn Weir was on the couch, reading a newspaper, when her door burst open. She frowned, standing up to see Sky and Erica, marching into the house. She put her newspaper on the coffee table, having a feeling she knew what was happening.

"Girls?" she asked slowly.

Sky growled, walking up to Evelyn. Erica stood back, staying silent.

"Where the hell is Benny?!" she sneered. "And what the hell are you doing with his coffee?"

Evelyn looked down, as if she were guilty.

"Look, Sky, let me explain -"

"There is no explaining to do, Evelyn!" Sky screamed, walking towards her, despite Erica pulling her back. "What do you know about Benny's visions? What do you know about Benny's past? _What the hell are you doing with my boyfriend?!"_

"Benny's past is...very complex, Sky," Evelyn said quietly after Sky had lowered down. "He has had a complicated past. I don't think I could explain it to him without him finding out for himself, because even I don't know the whole story."

Sky doesn't look convinced. "You are replacing the caffeine in that disgusting coffee with melatonin supplements. Why are you doing that?"

Evelyn frowned. "How did you find that out?"

Sky looked down, and then sighed.

"I saw the surveillance footage of you listening to the conversation with Benny and I watched you put a spell in the coffee while I was updating your surveillance system before Benny and I went into the fairytale realm."

Evelyn's eyes widened. "You _stole_ surveillance footage? Sky, I thought I could trust you!"

"Yeah, well I thought so too!" Sky snapped.

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" Erica growled. "I'm starting to get very impatient with the lack of answers."

Evelyn rubbed her forehead, massaging her temples to rid of the growing headache inside her skull.

"It takes a lot of energy to have visions, especially if it is due to trauma, or being more than one supernatural being. Benny's visions of the past were getting so much worse that I thought he might have an energy failure and _die,_ " Evelyn explained.

Sky took a breath, trying her best to calm herself down.

"Melatonin...that's a chemical in your body that works best at night time. That is the reason why you sleep," Erica said. "Why are you giving it to Benny?"

"You think he might run out of energy," Sky answered for Evelyn. "He needs more energy. He needs to get more sleep, since his visions of the past - a past we still need answers of, by the way - have been taking up so much of his energy and power."

"Exactly," Evelyn said.

"So why does it taste like shit?" Erica asked, hand on her hip. "I was thirsty for caffeine one day and I couldn't catch any joggers," - Sky gagged, and Erica ignored it - "so I drank his coffee. It was the worst thing I ever had in my life."

"That's because it is only appealing to Benny," Evelyn explained, "I had to make sure you guys weren't being affected, so I made the smell and taste of the coffee appeal to Benny more than to anyone else. It's hard enough to make it."

Sky doesn't laugh, like she normally would. Instead, the questions continue.

"You said, in the videos, that it would make more sense if the visions were of the _future,_ " Sky said. "Does that mean that Benny is actually what I think it is, or is it something you want to keep from us again?"

Erica winced at the aggression in Sky's voice, but Evelyn ignored it with a sigh.

"Benny...is a seer."

* * *

It was like the world stopped at that very moment. It was as if everything around Sky just _froze,_ and Sky was the only one who was left standing. Erica stood there, shellshocked, and Evelyn just took a breath after saying the four words.

"H-He's a _seer?!"_ Sky stuttered. "The same kind of seer that Ethan is?"

"Yup," Evelyn said slowly. "You see, my husband - Benny's grandfather - was a seer. When I told Ethan that visions came during puberty, I wasn't actually...telling the truth to him."

"Yeah, what's new there," Sky scoffed, and Erica nudged her slightly.

"It happens when your body is ready. Something big has to happen for you to be able to fulfill your powers. In Ethan's case, it was finding out that his babysitter/love of his life was actually a vampire. For Benny, it must've been whatever happened before the fairytale realm, since he told me his vision - the one he had when he was on the phone with you, Sky - was actually about him killing Talia."

"So why is he always getting so worn out from visions even from the future?" Sky asked.

"Because he's been more than one supernatural being in one form," Evelyn explained. "He's a spellmaster, he's been a werewolf once, and he is a Seer. Usually, a Seer is more of a dominant factor in the supernatural world, it being the most powerful, but since Benny's spellmaster roots go way back, connecting to powerful wizards, the two kind of fight for a battle of dominance; most of the time, spellmaster abilities winning. But then Benny was a werewolf, a more physical trait, and the Seer factor just became tired of being another factor in Benny's body. So that means that the Seer factor has to top the spellmaster factor and the physical factor that was left of the werewolf by taking energy from Benny."

Sky sighed. "Does Benny know?"

"Not as far as I know of, no," Evelyn answered.

"Mrs. Weir, you need to tell him," Erica spoke up. "You need to talk to him about this. There has to be a better way for him to cope with his abilities."

"Well, the only way I can do that is if I physically stripped one of the factors out of his body. The werewolf one is not really an option, since it is pretty much gone, but either Benny's seer powers or his spellmaster powers has to go, and we all know that Benny is probably going to keep the spellmaster powers."

"Okay, so why don't you just take out the Seer factor with a little spell or something?" Erica asked. "I mean, it can't be that hard."

"It is," Sky murmured. "Stripping a magical ability from somebody is almost like ripping their heart out. And since the Seer is a really dominant factor, chances are, it might hurt so much that it would probably..."

Sky couldn't finish the sentence. Erica looked shocked.

"It could _kill him?!_ " Erica exclaimed.

"There is a big chance it would," Evelyn said sadly. "That's why I didn't want to do anything about it. The only option is the rest he takes, but since he barely does that anymore, I have had to increase the levels of melatonin in his coffee as I went on."

"Mrs. Weir, melatonin is not something you should mess around with," Sky said sternly, her anger for her subsiding. "It's an important chemical in your body, and if you overdose, the side effects would really affect his daily life. It isn't healthy."

"Then we have to find another way," Erica said, finishing her thoughts.

Evelyn sighed. "I really hope you find it in your heart to forgive me, Skylar. I hate fighting with my grandson's girlfriend. You have every right to be mad at me, but I don't want that to affect the relationship between us and Benny."

"Benny is the important one here, is he." Sky hugged Evelyn tightly. "Of course I forgive you, Mrs. Weir. You were only trying to do what was best for Benny. I still have so many questions, but I want you to know that there is no hard feelings."

"Thank you, Sky." Evelyn squeezed her hand.

Suddenly, Sky's cell phone buzzed. She frowned, apologizing feebly and answering it.

"You got Sky, how can I help you?" she said into the phone.

 _"Hello, this is the Whitechapel Healthcare Institution. Is this Skylar Bryans?"_

Sky paled. "Y-Yeah, it is. I'm Skylar - Sky, actually. What do you need?"

 _"Well, three of your friends - Ethan Morgan, Sarah Fox, and Rory Keaner - have admitted your friend, Benjamin Weir, into our facility with life-threatening injuries. You are the first person they said to call."_

Sky's eyes widened. " _What?!"_

 _"Your...boyfriend, is it?"_ Sky answered with a "yes" and the man continued. _"Well, by what your friends are saying, Benjamin was beat up behind a local Lotta Latte by someone they don't seem to know. Charges have not been pressed due to anonymity of the suspect, but Mr. Weir's conditions are certainly worrying, and he was pretty close to death when admitted. If you could call his grandma and someone by the name of Erica Jones and get over here as soon as you can, that would be great."_

Sky could barely speak. She agreed to everything and hung up.

Evelyn rushed to Sky's side as she stumbled onto the couch.

"What was it, Sky? Who was on the phone?"

Sky felt tears running down her cheeks.

"Someone beat up Benny," she whispered. Erica gasped. "He's in the hospital with Sarah, Ethan and Rory. They say it's bad, guys. They say that he was close to _death_ when they brought him in. Oh my god, Benny..."

Sky's moans were covered by her mouth as tears flowed. Evelyn stood up and grabbed her coat.

"We're taking my car to the hospital," she announced. "Come on."

Erica helped Sky out of the house and into the car, and the only thing that could be heard in their ride of silence was Sky's sobs.

On the way, her phone buzzed, and Sky wearily took it out, reading it with fear of knowing what it was.

 _eeks. looks like your break lasted too long._

 _~shadow xx_

* * *

Sky had called her parents, saying that she would stay over at the hospital for the night with all her friends. Evelyn had went to get some dinner for the teens from a local Swiss Chalet down the street. None of them were allowed to see Benny yet, but after two hours of waiting, a doctor finally came in.

"Is anyone here for...Benjamin Weir?" the doctor read of a clipboard. Sky was the first on her feet.

"That's us," she said quickly as her friends stood up as well. "How is he?"

The doctor sighed. "Though his injuries were severe, and he was admitted close to death, he was able to pull through surgery just fine."

Sky blew a sigh of relief. Ethan anxiously tugged against the strings on his hoodie.

"What were his injuries?" Ethan asked.

"Well, according to the files, his major injuries included three broken ribs, a broken arm from landing on it too hard, and a severe concussion. His throat was also bruised from the attacker, and for some reason, his internal injuries were also very severe; his lungs were bruised, and it seemed as if something entered his body and shook every organ inside of him."

 _'Magic...,'_ Sky thought. _'Benny must've been hit with black magic.'_

"Luckily, during surgery, he was fixed up. Any brain damages were resolved, and his ribs were fixed. He will be put on bed rest for the next couple of days due to his injuries, but he is probably coming back with a cast and a few scrapes and bruises."

"So he's okay?" Rory asked. "Can we see him?"

"You can, but Mr. Weir is sleeping. We put him under sedation and painkillers to sleep off the pain, so he will probably be either unresponsive or be extremely drowsy and confused during the whole thing. It'd be best not to tell him what happened if he isn't responding normally, so just stay there until he becomes fully alert. Apparently, one of the paramedics who treated Mr. Weir in a car accident said that you guys were good friends of Mr. Weir, so you guys can stay over visiting hours."

"Thank you," Sarah whispered, and the doctor led them to his room.

When they went in, all their breaths nearly stopped.

Benny was lying in a bed, tubes surrounding him. A bandage was wrapped around his head, and a cast was on his arm. He was shirtless - "To give the wound a bit of air," the doctor explained - and wrapped around his bruised chest was a large bandage. Dried blood was spotted on his face and on his chest, along with a swollen eye and bruised lip.

The doctor left, and Sky rushed to Benny's side, crying.

"Benny, wake up, please," she whispered.

He groaned, stirring as he shifted to the side. His eyes barely opened, but they focused on Sky in general.

"Hey," she whispered, holding his hand, and stroking it with her thumb.

"Hey," he said, his voice raspy and dry. Ethan perked up at Benny's voice an dwent up to his hospital bed.

"Benny, are you awake?" he asked quietly. "Can you hear me?"

Benny groaned, rolling his head on his pillow in pain.

"Turn off the lights, grandma," he mumbled. "Too bright. Lights bright. Turn it off, please. Hurting my eyes. Turn off the lights, grandma!"

The gang exchanged looks at Benny's ramble. He was confused, his brain foggy and his eyes blown wide with daze. Sky sobbed, and Sarah just robbed her shoulder, whispering soothing words in her ear. Sky took deep breaths.

"It's us, B,"Sky said quietly. "It's Sky."

Benny blinked widely, closing his eyes and squeezing them.

"Sky," he muttered. Sky smiled, shaking his hand softly.

"Yeah, it's me," she said through tears. "We're all here; Sarah, Erica, Rory, Ethan and I."

"Where," - He coughed - "am I?"

"In a hospital," Erica answered. "You got roughed up pretty badly."

Benny shook his head.

"My dad," he mumbled, and everyone's eyes widened. "My dad...where is he? Is he here yet? _Is he gonna turn off the damn light?_ "

"Benny...," Ethan said. Rory frowned.

"Your dad is dead, B," he said bluntly. Erica elbowed him, and Rory shrugged. "He has every right to know."

Benny muttered something incoherent, and then said a little louder, "Fuck. I forgot that? T-They...doing something to me. I dunno. I wanna go. Not nice here. M'tired. Too loud. Too bright. Wanna sleep."

"Go to sleep, honey," Sky said, stroking his bed-ridden hair. "You need your rest. You're muttering things that aren't making any sense. Go to sleep, and we will be right here when you decide to wake up. Is that okay with you?"

Benny sleepily smiled. "Thank you, Sky. Okay. I'm...sleep."

With that, he closed his eyes, and Sky just smiled, tears shining in her eyes.

"He'll be alright, Sky," Sarah whispered. "He always is."

"I'm going to the bathroom," Sky announced, standing up and walking out the door. Ethan shook his head with a sigh, and Rory just launched into an animated conversation about superheroes and villains, and Erica did the thing everyone wanted to do and slapped him on the arm.

* * *

Sky sat on the toilet after about twenty minutes in the bathroom, her eyes watering as she looked at the test in front of her.

 _'This can't be right,'_ she thought.

Her phone buzzed, and with fear, she read the text.

 _do me a favor? call it besky. or maybe benny, in honor of its soon-to-be dead father._

 _have a fantastic night, skylar._

 _~the shadow xx_

Sky nearly threw up again. Instead, she looked at the test again, and threw it in a waste bin, taking a deep breath and walking out of the bathroom stall. She washed her hands, dried them, then walked out of the bathroom, drying her tears with the back of her hands.

As she walked back to Benny's room, and saw that her friends were all sleeping, she sat down with one thought still in her mind.

 _'Two weeks,'_ it had read. _'Positive.'_

* * *

 **A/N- So there you go! I hope guys were satisfied. A lot going on in this chapter, but hopefully all will be answered soon!**

 **In the meanwhile, please review, and thanks for reading as always :)**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	16. Ashes, Ashes

**A/N- Wassup? It be TOBN here with a new chapter of More Than Friends!**

 **Last chapter was pretty intense, huh? Sky is actually two weeks pregnant, Benny is in the hospital after getting beat up, and is now revealed as a Seer who can see the future, but something traumatic in his past also makes him see things in the past? WHAT IS HAPPENING?! I THOUGHT THIS WAS GOING TO BE A NICE STORY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FRIENDSHIP INTO SOMETHING MORE?! Don't worry my friend, I am thinking the same thing too :P**

 **But this chapter is the last chapter before the epilogue! I can't believe how far we've come, huh? It certainly was a train ride of a year to get to this position! I can only promise more action, more suspense, more drama, more supernatural happenings, more romance; especially between two spellmasters. And I have a big project coming up; I mean, the baby project was _obviously_ The Besky Project; do you get it now? Now I have a new project for you to look forward to: The Diamond Project. What is it? That's for you to find out in a while ;)**

 **For now, let's focus on now! Here are some shoutouts to people who reviewed the last chapter:**

 **Guest- Thank you so much! I try so hard to make this as entertaining as I can, but I am glad that you like it, through plot holes and grammatical mistakes :P But thank you so much for the nice words; keep on reading and keep on smiling my friend :)**

 **fangerdanger6- This website has always been tricky :P I hope you can keep up with the intensity, as I don't think it is going to stop any time soon *rubs hands with an evil smirk* Keep on enjoying the story, and thank you for the review!**

 **MBAV fan66- Yup! Secrets are falling out of my pocket now! It's like how the person who is sending all those texts is actually - WAIT STOP! I NEED TO SEW THIS POCKET CLOSED FOR NOW! Geez. And yeah, actually! I didn't realize that. I mean, Benny's past visions are more due to trauma, but there is a supernatural aspect to that! It is kind of sweet how they balance each other out. Huh :P Anyway, thanks for the review as always, fanfic buddy :)**

 **So with that, drop a review, and...**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 16: Ashes, Ashes...

* * *

Evelyn placed the pen down on the piece of paper and sat back in her chair, looking around in her empty room.

She hated writing like this, _plotting someone's death._

Nothing a little knowledge could do to make sure you revealed everything you kept, she always liked to think. The situation made her think back to Mark, and the vision she had in a dream about him - she knew she had no powers in foreseeing the future like her husband did, but the vision was true, wasn't it?

She hated knowing when it'd come. Some would think that it would be good to know, just so you can protect yourself, but _destiny was stronger than that._ Even if she could avoid it somehow, it would be as if she'd throw the course of the universe off.

Evelyn can't believe - after everything she'd been through - she would add _murder_ to the end of her list describing her life.

 _Murder._

 _A spellmaster's blood spilled._

 _Blood._

 _Crying._

 _It was the end._

She sighed; as much as she hated to think of its consequences, one fatality against many is the only way she could approach this situation.

Perhaps death is for the best.

...she'd miss him, though. She decides nothing will be more painful than watching him cry and fall all over again.

* * *

 _Benny looked at the text, black demons and shadows spiralling out of his screen._

 _"What is it, Benny?" Sky asked as if she didn't see any of the monsters. Benny shook his head, trying to make sense of everything. Time slowed down, and so did the people around him, including Sky._

 _The only thing that was moving was himself, and the only thing he could hear is a British laugh._

 _Time resumed. Sky nearly fell forward. Benny couldn't stop himself from shaking._

 _"It's a text," Benny said. Sky gulped._

 _"From Mark."_

 **"YOU'RE A MONSTER, BENNY!"** _Mark's familiar voice rang in his ears, as if the words from the text jumped out of the screen and into his ears. Benny looked at Sky in horror, and he helplessly watched her get swallowed in shadows._

 _When it cleared, all Benny could see was a smirk. Blood surrounded him, and his stomach flipped. The blood sparkled; spellmaster's blood._

 _"The one thing he finally got right," Sky smirked, and Benny watched as the remaining shadows shaped into the familiar British boy; Mark._

 _Sky leaned in, grabbing the shadow-Mark's collar and pulling him into a kiss. Benny screamed as Sky's hand cupped the demon's cheek._

 _Her lips cracked black, and when she faced Benny again, her eyes, her hair, her clothes; she was a shadow too._

 _"I joined him, Benny," she whispered. "May this be a vision of coming events, Weir."_

 _The dream disappeared as fast as the two demons in front of him did._

...

Benny woke up to bright lights and a strange wave of deja vu glowing in his mind. He didn't shoot up like he'd usually do when he has a nightmare, as his chest was aching and his bones felt broken, even if he assumed they were already fixed.

He's been here before, hasn't he?

He's been in this position thousands of times before. He has been knocked unconscious before, and he has end up in the hospital before as well. He has always been the target to all their enemies, but this time, _it felt different._

In a way, he felt a bit relieved he was hurt. He wasn't dead, which is always something to be proud of. But even if the memories of what had happened were hazy, he _remembered_ the words that person had said.

 _Seer._

He was a _seer._ He wasn't sure how, since most of his visions were of the past and not the future, but the person who beat the living hell out of him said so. Benny wasn't sure if he was entitled to believe the stranger just yet, as he didn't even know if he was telling the truth, but something deep inside told him that it was real.

Why was he a seer? As far as he knew, both his parents were spellmasters. Since Ethan's dad was a seer, he must've got his powers from him. So if none of his parents were seers, where did get get his powers from?

He was exhausted, and felt some sort of panic attack coming - _he hated this._ He thought he got past his panic attacks, and sure the visions were annoying, not to mention extremely draining, but he could handle it at one point. Now he felt as if his whole world was falling down again.

Benny looked around him; he was clearly in a hospital, but the one thing he noticed was that his room was empty. Usually, one of his friends would be there, but the only thing he saw of his friends was their coats hanging over the chairs.

It was weird not having any faces to wake up to; had they finally left him?

Benny's panic rose as he looked at himself; his bruises scattered his shirtless chest, blooming over his pale torso. His insides felt like they've been shaken, and he automatically assumes it was dark magic; the person was a spellmaster after all.

He was also a _vampire;_ the two bite marks on his wrist certainly reminded him of that.

Luckily, he could see his reflection in a nearby mirror, but he couldn't decide if he was more relieved or if he was terrified; he was so pale and his ribs could be seen because he was so skinny. There were bags under his eyes, and black bruises where his attacker punched him on his face.

His eyes met his reflection's stare, and all he could see are the hollow green orbs that were once filled with light.

 _Monster._

The word still echoed in his head. He felt nauseous and wanted to throw up.

Perhaps that's why he was singled out.

 _Monster._

Maybe they were hunting him down to keep the others safe.

 _Monster._

The crazy part in his brain was spreading through his consciousness; it could've been an alternate version of _himself._ It could've been another Benny beating up because they couldn't let this version of him walk around the earth; it was disgusting.

 _'Monster,"_ it still screamed.

"Please help me," Benny found himself muttering, trembling in his bed. Was the words in his mind, or was he just talking out loud? He thought about pressing the nurse button so many time until it broke, but he knew what they'd do; _he didn't want to sleep again._

As if a prayer has been received, the door opened and his blurry vision caught sight of someone; _Sky._

She rushed to his side when she saw him, tears already down her face. Benny couldn't see them; all he could see was blurry images of blonde hair and blue eyes, his thoughts growing louder and louder. Sky's voice was barley a buzz to his ear.

"Benny? Please breathe. There is enough air in the room for you to do so. Try to do it like me, 'kay? _Deep breath in...and out..."_

Her voice sounded as if she was submerged underwater. Benny's thoughts got worse; what if she was being submerged underwater? She could be drowning...and dying...was dying? He felt like he was dying...

"Benny, listen, please." Benny heard Sky say something. He shook his head, arching his back on the bed. Sky gently placed a hand on his stomach to lightly push him down, but it made it even worse.

"Don't touch me!" he screams. "P-Please don't hurt me!"

That's when Benny felt it.

Sky's tear fell on his chest, and it snapped him out of his daze.

He could hear her now. The tear had somehow snapped him out of his anxious thoughts and he could focus. He could hear her tell him to breathe deeply, and he did, mimicking her moves through tears. Eventually, he calmed down and leaned back against his pillow, staring at the ceiling rather than his girlfriend.

"Hey," she whispered. Benny closed his eyes.

"Hey," he answered, trying to fool himself on how strong he sounded.

"I need to tel you a lot of things," Sky said, "but I am not sure if now is the best time. Your panic attack must've started before I came in; was it really bad? Everyone is out, by the way, getting Chinese food."

Her rambling was cut off with a kiss. Benny lifted his head up and grabbed her cheeks, dragging her down to his level. She moved into the kiss, letting herself being pulled to Benny's cold lips. For a minute, it was as if colour finally returned to his face.

"Tell me, Sky, what did I do?" Benny finally asked when he pulled back, his words barely leaving his mouth as his lips grazed hers. Sky's tears continue to fall, and she knew that he knew something. She pulled back.

"Benny," Sky said, tears in her eyes as she looked at her boyfriend. "I'm...pregnant."

Benny's calm face masked his downfall.

"Two weeks," she added as if there wasn't a two week old fetus in her stomach. "How do you feel about that?"

Benny's dead eyes glared at Sky, as if studying her for the first time in a new light.

She was different. She wasn't "high school girlfriend that stuck around and will last forever". She was "high school girlfriend that stuck around because _she was pregnant with our baby."_ Could he handle fatherhood? He was a mess. He never had a father. Could he build an experience without no one to tell him how? And Sky; how would it change for her? She had a whole lifetime ahead of her; she didn't need this.

"I'm sorry," he finally said after silence, "but I think you should leave."

* * *

One conversation led to another outside the door of Benny's room, and Sky ended up telling the others _everything_.

"So you are pregnant," Ethan muttered. Sky fought off tears.

"I'm sorry, guys," she whispered. Rory rubbed her shoulder.

"Sky, why on earth would you be sorry?" Rory sounded a bit angry, and Sky remembered the tone of his voice and compared it to when they were at the diner. "It isn't something you guys can avoid. Sure, it'll be hard, but you can't be sorry for something wonderful."

Sky sniffled. "You think it's wonderful?"

"We think it's amazing," Sarah said, grabbing Sky's two hands. "A baby. Oh my god, you guys are going to be parents."

"If you decide to keep it," Erica snapped. Everyone looked at the blonde vampire.

"Why wouldn't I keep it?" Sky's voice held intensity, and her anger bubbled to the surface. "Erica, are you out of your mind? Of course I am going to keep the baby, whether Benny wants to join or not. Though I know he will, because he loves me."

"A baby, Sky!" Erica exclaimed, standing up. "You are talking about a life thrown away because you're a teen mom. You're supposed to go to college, and you are supposed to get married. You can't skip these steps, Sky, _you're ruining your life!"_

 _"Shut up!"_ Sky screamed. "If you don't support me as much as they do, then get the hell out of my life, Erica!"

Erica is taken back. Rory stood up beside her, and held her closely, looking at Sky, debating whose side he should take.

"Take it back, Sky." Rory made his decision. "I know the pressure is hitting you hard, but take it back right now before I do something you'll regret."

Ethan stood up on instinct, and Sarah does as well. Sky shook her head.

"I'm sorry," Sky muttered. "Erica, if that's what you really think, so be it, but I honestly don't want you around the baby if your opinion is going to stay that way. You are one of my best friends, Erica, but I am not going to let that stop you from telling me what to do."

"I am just trying to tell you what's right, Sky!" Erica yelled, her eyes flashing yellow. "Your life is going to be completely different now, and so is Benny's! Imagine what it must feel like for him. Your life is going to be a roller-coaster now. "

"At least you guys will be there, _right?!_ " Sky screamed, and that was it. Erica avoided eye contact and remained silent.

"Guys, let's not fight," Ethan said slowly. Rory ignored him, and faced Erica.

"I love you Erica, but this is Sky we are talking about, _Our friend?_ If this is about what I think it is -"

"I'm going out for a walk," Erica cut him off and stormed past him. "I need some fresh air."

She disappeared after. Rory looked at them apologetically, and sped off to find her. Sky broke down, sitting on the chairs outside Benny's room once again.

"She's right," Sky cried. "I ruined my life. I ruined Benny's life. _I ruined everything!"_

Sky sobbed, shaking in Sarah and Ethan's embrace.

"That's not true, Sky," Sarah said reassuringly. "Erica is just mad. Rory mentioned something about her having a 'bad baby history'. But she is _Erica_ ; she cares about you a lot, and I don't think a baby will change that."

"How far along are you?" Ethan asked.

"Two weeks," Sky said. "Is that too early for an abortion?"

Ethan and Sarah exchanged looks.

"You aren't giving the baby up," Sarah said. "That isn't fair."

"Erica was right about one thing, guys; this is a _baby._ I'm too young. I have a whole life ahead of me to make these decisions; I can't have a baby when my life has barely started yet."

"You won't be able to have another baby if you give this baby up, Sky!" Ethan said sharply. "You are talking about a ball of life you are willing to kill. You'll regret it, I know you. And Benny would hate it. He's talked about children before; he loves them so much, and he'll be there for you."

Ethan's rant is cut off by the opening of a door.

Benny is standing there, holding his IV stand, leaning against it as if it was a life-boat. He was still shirtless, his bruises popping out at the three. His jeans were torn, but he was standing there as if nothing happened.

"You aren't giving the baby up," Benny said through tears. "Please."

Sky stood up and ran to Benny.

"I thought you didn't want a baby," Sky said through tears.

"I never said I _didn't_ want a baby. _I love you, Sky._ "

Sky shook her head, crying into Benny's shoulder.

"That's it, Benny," she cried. "We are having a baby."

Benny buried his face into her back. "It isn't your fault, Sky. I should've told you. It was my fault. When you found me in the bathroom about the text, I found out something too; the condom broke. I could've avoided it. Maybe spelled it -"

"It's fine, Benny." Sky sniffled.

Sarah wrapped her hand around Ethan's, and when he looked at her, he realized they were both crying.

Wind flew in their faces and Rory sped back into the room with Erica, who was shaking and crying. One second of looking at Sky and Benny, she broke down and hugged her two friends tightly.

"I'm sorry, Sky," she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry."

And now everyone was crying. They all stood around Benny and Sky who were still wrapped in each other's embrace.

"We'll get through this, Benny," Sky sniffled. "We get through everything; surely this won't be any different.

* * *

Benny got out of the hospital two weeks later with a cast and a bandage wrapped around his chest. He walked back into his house without his friends, who he made sure got home, despite them wanting to be with him.

He had to talk to his grandma.

Evelyn stood in the middle of the room, as if anticipating his arrival.

"What happened, Benny?" Evelyn asked as she sat him down. Benny tried not to look at her when he sat against the couch. His silence told Evelyn everything she needed to know, but she wanted to hear Benny say it.

"Sky told me everything," Benny whispered. "She told me about the coffee, about me being a Seer, about me _dying."_

The word made Evelyn think about her dream. She shuddered at the thought.

"You aren't dying, Benny."

"But I could! I actually _have to_ if I want to ever be free from the two powers battling it out inside of me."

Evelyn sighed. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Benny," she said instead. "I was going to tell you -"

"It's fine," Benny said. Evelyn looked shocked.

"It is?" she asked, astonished. Benny nodded quietly.

"Of course it is. I had a lot of time to be angry in that hospital bed, and I realized I had no reason to be. You were just being reasonable. It isn't your fault after all. Though I can't believe grandpa was a seer and you never told me..."

"I assume you know that your past visions are due to trauma though, right?" Evelyn asked. "I don't want you to get confused."

"The visions are more draining because I am a Seer, though," Benny points out. Evelyn nodded quietly.

Benny felt his world spin. It's probably time she told him anyway. For some reason, he felt like it was _right_ to tell her, and as soon as he could. He took deep breaths in and out, waiting for the silence to clear and then he said it.

"Sky's pregnant."

Silence.

Evelyn looked at him. "Is she? I'm sorry."

Benny frowned, but then realized that there had been a small misunderstanding.

"N-No, grandma." He's trembling through stutters _"It's mine."_

He's crying again for the umpteenth time today. His grandma was shaking.

"Y-You're the father?"

"I'm sorry, grandma," Benny sobbed.

Evelyn shook her head, hugging him, and he felt her tears on his t-shirt.

"I can't be mad at you, Benny. I'm going to be a great grandmother. I get to see the child of my grandson. That is everything I could've ever asked for before I -"

She stopped herself from talking.

"I'm proud of you," she whispered. "Your parents would be too."

Benny looked down. "Would they?"

For some reason, the dream he had popped in his mind. Images of betrayal and a person long forgotten plagued his thoughts.

Evelyn held his hands, and that was enough.

"They would be so proud," Evelyn said.

"I wish they could hold their grandchild," Benny whispered. "I miss them."

Evelyn looked away.

 _It's not my story to tell. Destiny told me so._

"I do too," she murmured. "I miss them too."

* * *

Sarah sat in her room, staring at the wall, before her glance fell back onto her laptop screen. Her ears were filled with angry, loud music to keep her focused on the task at hand, even if her mind worked well enough to distract her; ever since the events in the hospital, everyone has been more distant. Benny and Sky have kept to their own, as with Rory and Erica. Even Ethan had disappeared for a while as well, but she knew he'd come back eventually.

She didn't exactly know how long it would be until her friends would.

Her fingers flew across the black keyboard when the door opened. She doesn't have to look up to know who it was.

"Hey, Ethan," she said quietly, grabbing her phone beside her and lowering the volume.

Ethan smiled and sat beside her.

"Hey, babe," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "How are you?"

"Okay." Sarah's eyes were still glued to the screen. "I'm okay."

Ethan frowned, glancing at the screen as well. He then looked at Sarah, whose eyes held a sadness he hasn't seen for a while. He sighed, rubbing her shoulder with his thumbs, using his other hand to gently let her face him.

"Everything is moving really fast right now, but _it's going to be alright,"_ Ethan said reassuringly. "We are Team V, after all; there is nothing that we couldn't do at this point. We fought monsters, murderers, stalkers, everything. We _literally_ went to hell and back."

"But we've never been so emotionally broken," Sarah murmurs, closing her laptop and leaning on him, pushing him down softly onto the surface of the bed and curling up beside him. "I never saw Erica so broken before, and I've known her for _years._ Sky is like a little sister to me, and she is feeling so lost right now. Rory is trying everything he could to keep her together, and _Benny."_

She couldn't say the words without sobbing.

"The first time I met Benny, he screamed. But I knew him as the biggest goofball ever. When I saw him again, he forgot all about me again, and it was like I was learning what his life was with him. I learned he was literally the strongest person I know; even stronger than I am. He kept it in focus, he had everything going for him. A steady love life, a learning opportunity to find more about his past and his abilities..."

Sarah shook her head. "I can't believe it was taken from him so quickly."

Ethan sighed, closing his eyes as his hand moved to Sarah's stomach and squeezing it with a small sigh.

"Benny is my best friend. I hate seeing him like this too. One of my earliest memories of when I first met him was during a panic attack. He was shaking, and I had to help him through it. We were both outcasts, but I was the one who helped the freak get back up. And as soon as I walked off, he followed, and I knew he was going to be my friend."

Sarah stayed silent. Ethan shook his head.

"It kills me to see him like this again. So broken and lost. But he has Sky. He has _us_ as well. We'll always get through it together."

Sarah nodded, kissing his neck. "I love you so much, Ethan. I really wish we could be together forever."

"We still can, you know," Ethan murmured, staring at the ceiling. "I could find the cure. Or you can turn me. It would hurt, but it would be so worth it if I could keep the love of my life for an eternity and beyond."

Sarah looked at him.

"I can't do that."

"Yes you can."

"No, Ethan, _I can't do that,_ " Sarah said quietly. "You have so much to look forward to. I don't want your life to last forever; eventually, you'll grow tired, and you will probably want to stake yourself. You'll never end up in heaven; you'll be stuck in an endless limbo of eternal darkness."

"You make yourself sound like a _monster_." The last word hurt on his tongue, and his mind went immediately to Benny. Sarah could see his face grow tense as well. She rubbed his arm, and realized it was her turn to reassure him.

"Get a grip, Ethie," she muttered. "Everything is fine."

Ethan sat up. "What were you looking up?"

Sarah bit her lip, but then gave in, pulling her laptop to her and opening the screen. The word 'Vampire' was the first word Ethan saw on the screen, and another word that popped out was 'H-Deficient Spellmaster Blood.'

"What is this?" he asked curiously.

Sarah fiddled with her thumbs, staring at Ethan. "Well, there was this time when Sky, Erica and I were searching up some things. One thing led to another, and we found out that if a vampire drank H-Deficient spellmaster blood, and then was killed by something - a certain magical being, per say, or an animal - they could come back to life and shape shift into the thing that killed it. I mean, it would be totally useless if a vampire drank H-Deficient spellmaster blood and was killed by a vampire, as it would just come back to life as the thing it was killed by. But imagine if someone was killed by, let's say, a _dragon?"_

Ethan frowned, raising an eyebrow. "What are you on about?"

"Ethan, what if Mark drank H-Deficient spellmaster blood?"

Ethan groaned, leaning back against the headboard of the bed.

"Not this again..."

Sarah's shoulder sagged and she looked at him as if she was holding the most desperate attempt in her hands.

"Ethan, think about it. Don't tell me that not even a little part of you was suspicious of Mark. He appeared, he died, and his weird words before he died? We didn't even get to see his ashes, Ethan; isn't a little part of your mind even _curious_ to know?"

Ethan thought about it for a while and sighed.

"Okay. Say Mark did drink H-Deficient spellmaster blood. It's not like he didn't stick with us throughout his time with us. Don't you think we would've seen if he drank that kind of blood? He was definitely good at hiding it, if he was, but you would see those kind of side effects. The changing of appearance every now and then. Besides, if he did drink that spellmaster blood, whose was it? We don't know many people with H-Deficient spellmaster blood, aside for - "

"Benny," Sarah answered for him.

"Are you saying Mark _drank_ Benny's blood?"

"Ethan, think back to a time in which Benny disappeared from us for a while."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Wow, I dunno, how many times has Benny been victim to a kidnapping..."

Sarah punched him in the shoulder. Ethan winced, but fell silent.

"I'm talking about the time Shadow - Talia, I mean - took him to _hell._ We didn't get to see much of Talia, Benny _or_ Mark. What if - bare with me here - Talia took blood from Benny and gave some to Mark? What if they both drank it?"

"Well, if that did happen, then why has Talia not come back to life yet?" Ethan shot back. "I mean, she wouldn't just give his blood to Mark. He would shape shift into, I dunno, a dragon, but then Talia? She was the Oblivion Spellmaster for god's sake; for all we know, she could've made it out of the Oblivion and is able to shape shift into Benny."

Sarah frowned in confusion. Ethan sighed.

"Because he was the one who killed her?"

"Oh yeah."

Sarah thought about it for a while, before answering.

"Maybe it's because we banished her to the Oblivion. Maybe even the H-Deficient spellmaster blood wasn't enough for her to come back to life and escape the Oblivion. Think of Annie; we staked her, but didn't banish her. For all we know, she might be alive. Evelyn said so herself; she might come back someday."

"But Talia was the Oblivion Spellmaster. She had powerful abilities that made her come back to life," Ethan said, running a hand through his hair. "It doesn't add up. There are too many 'what if's to consider."

"Okay, but think of this scenario; Talia loses her powers in the blast. It went to someone else instead; perhaps an accomplice? The person didn't give the powers back, and Talia was stuck in the Oblivion for the rest of her life. You know what Benny said before; Talia wasn't a particularly bad person. She repeatedly told him sorry, as if she was being controlled by someone. Maybe Talia was just a pawn in a more powerful person's game."

"There are too many puzzle pieces that don't fit in," Ethan said.

Sarah shrugged. "It may be so, but I believe that there really _was_ a second Shadow. Sky told us at the hospital about the texts and calls she has been receiving; they all match up to an even darker Shadow. What if that hologram that Talia presented to us was a clone of someone else instead? What if she was faking it?"

"There isn't enough evidence to support that, Sarah," Ethan said. "I know you want to figure this out as much as I do, but I don't think this is the answer."

"Even if things don't match up, or if this isn't the answer we are looking for, one thing is for certain," Sarah said with determination, looking at Ethan.

 _"Mark isn't dead._ And tonight I am going to prove it."

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Rory asked, his hair shining in the pale moonlight. "I mean, I love eating some late-night rats in this graveyard too, but I am missing out on the Galactic Attack season finale, and I kind of want to watch it."

Benny's eyes widened and turned to Rory. "Wait, that's on tonight?"

Rory's eyes lit up. "Yup! And we're going to find out if Lucida is going to lose the battle royale for the Windy Planet!"

"But what if Roy comes back?" Benny asked in excitement. "Wait a minute...what if that shadow at the end of the last episode _is_ Roy?! I mean, the person held the Diamond of Moonlight in its hand, and Roy was the one who stole it!"

"I saw a lot of Reddit theories about that!" Rory exclaimed. "Now I want to watch it more than ever!"

"Guys, I recorded it, okay? We can watch it all after we do this. As much as I love the geek-speak, I want to get out of here _as fast as I possibly can."_ Sky said in annoyance, shivering from the cold wind.

"Why _are_ we here, anyway?" Erica muttered. "I mean, it's midnight; I should be draining dead guys, not _digging for them."_

"Erica, how many times do I have to tell you? We're digging up Mark's coffin," Sarah said, tossing her a shovel. Erica caught it with a roll of her eyes. "I'm telling you, Mark's alive, and I am going to prove it right now."

"Sarah, I love you, and I love your wonderful ideas," Ethan said, twirling his shovel nervously in the palm of his hand, "but I would really appreciate if your wonderful ideas weren't wonderfully _illegal."_

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Ethie, just trust me and start digging."

"But can't we have dinner first, m'mam? I haven't ate nothin' all day!" Benny whined sarcastically. Sarah looked at him with steely eyes.

"Benny, I will eat you if you keep it up like that," Sarah said. "I won't hesitate to do it."

"You wouldn't do that to a father, would you? I have a family to look after!" Benny said, mock-hurt, and mimicked stabbing his heart. Even if it was a joke, Sky smiled a bit anyway, rubbing her stomach; it was good that Benny seemed happier and less anxious than he was two weeks ago.

Ethan's voice snapped Sky out of her train of thought.

"Sarah, it's really late; maybe we should just head back. I mean, it is midnight, and what if there is some creepy graveyard man comes back like that time with Boltz? Even if he didn't do anything, he was really creepy..."

The last words came out as whiny pouts. Sarah sighed.

"Come on, guys!" Sarah said, leaning on her shovel. "Don't tell me that not a small piece of your mind _believes_ that Mark could still be alive? He was our friend, after all; if he is still alive, he might be in hiding, or he might be trying to tell us something important!"

"Sarah, I don't want him to be alive," Sky murmured quietly, and all eyes fell on her. She sighed.

"I got over Mark a long time ago, and it was harder than ever. I had to go to the therapist I thought I'd never see again, I had to increase my anti-depressant dosage, and I couldn't be left alone. I was really sad for a while, and...I don't know how I would react if I saw him again."

Benny's mind went back to the dream he had again. Instead of saying anything, he squeezed Sky's hand reassuringly, and was met with a small smile. Sarah took a breath.

"I understand, Sky. It was kind of selfish for me to say something like that anyway," Sarah said sadly. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Sarah. I know you meant well," Sky said, gently letting go of Benny to hug Sarah tightly. "We can figure this thing out without digging up our dead friends. Alive or not, we might as well give Mark Peterson some peace."

As soon as the words were said, a loud crash of thunder erupted from the sky. The gang looked up to suddenly see rain fall sharply onto the ground, pricking their skin. Erica sniffed the air, and her fangs popped out. Benny's eyes widened, and he instinctively grabbed Erica's wrist.

"Whoa, fangs, slow down," he said nervously, "what is up?"

"Blood," Erica breathed out. She stared at Benny intensely. " _I smell blood."_

Benny stepped back, his heart pumping at the words. Erica looked at Benny, and he jumped back into Sky's arms. She held him closely, and then watched as Rory and Sarah bare their fangs as well, all eyes glowing yellow in the dark.

"She's right, there's blood. A lot of it." Rory frowned. "It smells kind of bad, though."

Sarah wrinkled her nose. "He's right. It kind of smells like Boltz's body parts after we defeated Steiner."

"Wait a minute. If it smells like Boltz's body, which was made up of multiple pieces of dead body parts, it probably smells like...oh, I don't know... say..." Erica trailed off, hoping someone would get it. It clicked like a missing puzzle piece in the puzzle.

" _A corpse._ " Ethan finishes her train of thought. _"This is a dead person's blood."_

"We didn't dig up any dead people yet though," Benny said in confusion. "Why is there suddenly dead blood roaming around here? Are one of you zombies...?"

Sky struggles not to roll her eyes at the comment. Another rain drop fell on her pale skin, and before it could roll off her arm, Sky raised it to view. She faced the moonlight and gasped, looking up at the Sky.

"Guys, it's the rain," Sky said in shock. _"It's raining blood."_

Thunder erupted again, and Benny looked at the clouds above them.

"This isn't just a regular storm, guys," he said worryingly.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Erica exclaimed. "I have dead people's blood in my hair!"

"That's not what I meant...," Benny said, before his eyes widened. "The clouds. The clouds are red too. This storm was conjured up by _magic._ And if it's the spell I think it is, we all have to get the hell out of the way _now!"_

The gang exchanged fearful looks, and they ran a fair distance away from Mark's grave. Lightening struck, and they screamed.

A streak of red lightening struck Mark's grave, grazing the ground around it in a small circle area of burnt, black grass. When they neared the grave again, the rain stopped, and the clouds cleared to shine light on the black circle around Mark's grave.

They stand in silence, and Sky picked up the shovel.

"Dig," Sky muttered, throwing the remaining shovels at the rest of her friends. "This is a message. We have to dig Mark up and we have to see if he is alive or not. And we have to do it fast."

"Where the hell did this message come from?" Erica screamed. "I thought you had this whole emotional thing about it! 'What if he's alive and stuff'?! Sky, that raining dead people's blood thing was creepy enough, and I'm going to have to wash it out tomorrow!"

"Erica, can't you see?! Someone conjured up that storm and gave us a message. I bet you it was from the person who was texting me."

"The Shadow?" Rory asked.

Everyone looked at Sky, who took a breath.

"We need to dig him up right now."

And as Sky pounded the blade of the shovel into the ground, the gang all began to dig.

The kept on digging, throwing the dirt in a pile beside the stone engraving Mark's birth, death, and name. After thirty minutes of digging, a loud bang against a hard surface was heard under Rory's shovel. They all stop, and Rory grins.

"I think I hit treasure gold!" he exclaimed happily.

"Great job, hun, now move out of the way," she said, kissing his cheek before dragging him off to the side with her. Sky got on her hands and knees and began brushing the dirt aside, but Benny stops her.

"Take a breath, Sky," he whispered. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks, Benny, but these babies are made of our genes; they won't be getting hurt anytime soon."

Benny smiled, and motioned the others to help. They clawed through the dirt before, eventually, Sky managed to find the lock at the side of the coffin. She moved it slightly, and a loud click was heard. The gang stopped digging and looked at Sky, who was tearing up.

"Are you okay?" Ethan whispered. "We don't have to do this."

Sky drew a breath, saying nothing. Sarah moved to help Sky open the other lock.

Everyone stood back and the girls unlocked the silver sides and lifted the cover up, swinging it to the side to reveal the insides of the coffin.

Sky gasped as they all peered in the coffin they had just dug up. Ethan covered his mouth.

"N-Nothing," he stammered.

* * *

The gang remained silent as they looked at the empty coffin.

"I can't believe it's empty," Ethan murmured. "Mark is _alive._ "

Erica suddenly had a realization and looked at Ethan.

"Uh, Ethan?" she said, and everyone including Ethan looked at her. " _Of course it's empty._ Mark wasn't a human, remember? It was a closed-casket service because there wasn't any part of Mark left. He was a _vampire_ ; he dissolved because of the 'stake' to the heart and there was no body."

Everyone took a breath of relief. Sarah's eyes were glued on the coffin.

"So Mark is dead. That's...actually really relieving," she said, looking at Sky.

Sky nodded. "It is."

More silence. Benny cleared his throat.

"So should we clean up?"

Erica shook her head. "It's fine. We basically just had another funeral; they can do the burial service, those lazy funeral bastards."

They all nodded silently, and Ethan offered to take them out for some traditional tacos on him. They smiled, and stood up, walking away. Sky leaned on Benny's shoulder, and he tentatively put his arm around her shoulder to help her retain some warmth.

Before they could leave that part of their life behind, Rory spoke up.

"So I guess we lost his ashes in all that dirt, huh?"

* * *

They stopped in their tracks. Rory continued to walk, but when he realized he was walking alone, he turned around to see the shocked faces of his friends. He frowned, walking back to them and looking at them in confusion.

"Guys? Are we going to get some tacos or something? I mean, all this grave-digging and this blood-raining has made me hungry for some tacos! You know, there is this 'six for six bucks' deal going on at our favourite place, and last time I checked, there are six of us -"

Rory's rant was cut off by Erica's hand covering his mouth.

"What did you say?" Erica said quickly. Rory spoke against her mouth, and she pulled back in disgust.

"The 'six for six' taco deal?" he squeaked. Sky shook her head vigorously as she began backing away from her friends and towards Mark's coffin. She covered her mouth and ran towards the coffin. Her friends exchanged looks, and they ran after her. Sky knelt on the grass and stared at the very empty coffin.

"There was this person who was 'Mark's friend' who said he couldn't show me the ashes of Mark because of request. Now I'm starting to think that he was either doing it to hide something, or was doing it against his will. Either way - "

"- someone was trying to hide the fact that Mark wasn't dead," Benny finished.

They stood in silence as Sky got back on her feet.

"What if his ashes were never collected? We never exactly _saw_ his ashes," Erica asked.

"But what if they were, Erica?" Sky said, a new confidence growing inside her. "I need you all to forget everything that has happened in the last few months. Forget all our leads, and forget what we thought were facts and think 'what if?'."

The gang remained silent.

"What if Mark didn't die?" Sky said. "What if Mark was hiding, or was trying to help? What if his ashes weren't collected because _he rose from them?_ What if, at some point in his life, he wasn't a regular vampire, but a -"

"- a vampire who drank H-Deficient spellmaster blood?" Sarah finished, glaring at Ethan.

They stood in silent, and that was when Benny's phone buzzed.

* * *

 **A/N- And I will have to leave you at that! Next chapter is the ending, and that will be coming to you next week ;)**

 **Drop a review, and thanks for reading as always :)**

 _ **Keep On Keeping On**_


	17. And We All Fall Down

**A/N- ...**

* * *

More Than Friends: Chapter 17: And We All Fall Down

* * *

 _"what do you remember about that day?"_

...

Benny looked down at his pocket and pulled out his phone, but didn't turn it on. The gang exchanged nervous glances as they looked at Benny's phone in fear. Erica was the first to speak after moments of silence.

"Are you going to open it?" she asked.

* * *

 _ **"I remember getting the call. It was the...hospital. The doctor said the exact same thing that**_ _ **they**_ _ **had told me before they made the decision. He was sleeping on the couch with that big scar and he was crying in his sleep. He remembered nothing. It was the aftermath of the battle of the witch with the fiery hair. It was the first out of many."**_

* * *

"I kind of don't want to," Benny said, his hand shaking. Sky rubbed his shoulder, noticing the tremble in his voice, and attempted to stop his panic from rising too far. She closed her eyes and faced him.

"Benny, you're going to have to. We need to know," she said slowly. " _Benny, this is the answer to everything."_

* * *

 _a sick, toothy smile._

 _"keep going. just because i know the story, doesn't mean i'm tired of it. i want to hear it from you."_

 ** _"..."_**

 _"well? speak. it's your last time to do so."_

 _ **"She**_ ** _was mad at him for waiting so long, but I know she must've forgiven him. Eight years was all they had with his son, and it was a shame they couldn't last longer. But the witch came and burnt their relationship to the ground."_**

 _"and then...?"_

 ** _"..."_**

* * *

"P-Please...w-what if it's -"

"Don't think," Sky said sharply. "One text, Benny; it's not going to kill you."

Benny gulped, and his mind drifted to the horrifying dream.

"Don't be so sure; I'm a Seer, remember?"

Sky looked at him in confusion.

* * *

 _"this is it. talk now, or die knowing you've done nothing."_

 ** _"..."_**

 _"TELL THE STORY, EVELYN!"_

* * *

"If you aren't going to do it, I will!" Erica said with frustration, swiping the phone out of her hand. Everyone stared at her, and she meekly smiled. "I want to do this to stop myself from having a heart attack," she added, "sorry."

"It's fine," Benny said. "Open it."

Erica clicked the 'on' button.

* * *

 _ **"You know the rest. They left. They left, and he never knew the true story of what happened. I was there. I was all that he had left. And...I lied to him. I watched him cry, and I watched him fall."**_

 _"a shame you'll have to watch him again." a laugh. a sick, twisted, laugh._

 ** _"...I know. I won't die of peace. But take me while you still can. He'll come. He always does."_**

 _"...what are you talking about?"_

 ** _"..."_**

 _"what did you do, evelyn?!"_

 ** _"..."_**

 _"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"_

* * *

Erica stared at the screen for three seconds. She looked at Benny with some sort of expression of relief. The gang looked at her, awaiting _some sort of sign,_ and Erica shook her head slowly. They all sighed in relief.

"Who?" Benny managed to ask.

"Your grandma," Erica answered, holding out the phone.

Benny sighed and took it in his hand. He unlocked his phone to read the text.

* * *

 _bang. crash. her skull hit the wall and the force shook papers from shelves to fall out, landing on the ground around her like leaves. his wings brushed against her face like thorns. she winced, felt blood, and saw it sparkle._

 _hers._

 _"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"_

 ** _"I gave them redemption."_** _she gritted through her teeth. **"I have them answers."**_

 _bang, crash; back into the wall she went._

* * *

"Oh my god...," Benny stuttered, dropping the phone. He stumbled into Sky's arms, shaking, his eyes dilating with panic and fear. She stroked his head as he cried into her shoulder. Ethan picked up the phone from the wet ground, and looked at the text. He looked back up.

"We have to go," Ethan said quietly. "Each vamp take a mortal; we have to go to Benny's house _right now."_

* * *

 _"you had one shot, evelyn." bang. crash. "you had one shot at a life where you would be alive."_

 **"But I wouldn't. Would I have? Heaven above, do you think of me so lowly?"**

 _"you're pathetic!" bang. crash._

 ** _"IT'S NOT ME! IT'S YOU! YOU COWARD! ALWAYS RUNNING!"_**

 _it wasn't him now. it was her._

 _bang._

 ** _"RUN AWAY, YOU BEAST!"_**

 _crash._

 ** _"RUN!"_**

* * *

"Ethan, we need answers! We're not moving until we have an answer!" Sarah screamed, not being able to take the situation anymore.

Benny got his balance back.

"It's my grandma," Benny stuttered. "It's my grandma, _and she knows."_

"Knows what?!" Rory yelled. "What the hell is going on?! What is happening?! _Are we having tacos or not?!"_

Erica fought every urge to kiss him to shut up. Sky looked at Benny.

"What does she know, Benny?" she asked gently. "If it is such a rush, you need to tell us now, or it'll be too late by the time we get there. Benny, you're scaring us all right now. You have to tell us what's going on -"

"She knows," Benny whispered, looking at Sky with fear in her eyes. " _She said she knew about the Shadow. About who it is. About **everything.** "_

And that was a good enough reason for them to _run._

 _..._

 _defeated. broken. blood._

 _"this is it, evelyn."_

 ** _"Then finish it now."_**

 _laughs. eyes of red._

 _"oh, not now," - cackles. smiles. psychotic smiles. - "they're going to watch. **he's** going to watch." _

_tears. blood. laughs._

 _"and he'll cry. and he'll fall. **again.** "_

* * *

They arrive at the house in record time and Benny raced to the front door, his friends following behind him. He tried opening the door, but to no avail. It was locked, he realized, and that was when the panic rose and tears fell.

"Open up, grandma!" he yelled. "Grandma, please, _open the damn door!"_

He banged the door, pounding his fist into the wood.

 _"GRANDMA!"_ he screamed to no response. "Grandma, _please!"_

"The keys, Benny," Sky said in a rush. "Stop panicking. You have the keys, remember? Take a deep breath," - she dug in his pockets and fished out keys attached to a silver keychain - " _and open the door."_

Tears down his face, Benny's heart was thumping loudly. His vision blurred, and all the voices were _screaming;_ shouting commands of what to do. He shook violently, and he managed to show them that _he couldn't._

"I'll do it then," Ethan said quickly as Sky helped Benny up. Ethan took the keys, fumbling them in his hand, and pulled it to the lock. With one twist, he unlocked the door and swung it open with a force that created wind.

Benny was the first in.

 _"GRANDMA!"_ he yelled.

Bang.

Crash.

"Downstairs!" Erica exclaimed. "I smell something, and it's coming from the basement!"

"It's blood," Rory said in worry. Sarah nodded, to prove his point.

Benny ran.

Sky's thoughts raced, and a certain dream played again in her mind.

...

 _"Oh my goodness..." He said, showing the text to Sky. She gasped as Benny lowered his eyes._

 _"It's a text." Benny said. Sky gulped._

 _"From Mark."_

 _Sky couldn't believe what she was hearing; Mark, her dead best friend, was texting her. This shouldn't be happening. Mark was gone, and he wasn't alive anymore. Mark wasn't there anymore...he was dead...he was gone...wasn't he?_

 _"What does it say?" Sky whimpered, looking at Benny with wide eyes. Benny read the single word sentence out loud, looking at Sky with fear in his green eyes. Sky was beyond scared now...what did the text say?_

 _"It says..." He trailed off a bit, running his hand through his hair in worry. Sky looked at Benny rather eagerly, waiting impatiently. He gulped.  
_

 _"Run"_

 _..._

Benny rushed down the stairs, his friends trailing behind him, and that's when he saw it.

"GRANDMA!" he screamed.

Hovering above her bloody body, knife in hand, was -

"S-Shark?" Sky stuttered.

The black dragon that Sky burnt in her memory and let it fade away _was floating right above Evelyn's dead body._

 _..._

 _Murder **ed**._

 _It was at the end of her list._

* * *

"No, no, no, no, no, _no!"_ Benny screamed, running to his grandma's dead body. His ters mixed with the wound that was on her chest.

Stabbed. She was stabbed to death.

He lifted her head up, tears down his face, and saw that her glassy eyes held dry tears as well. He tried to feel for something, _anything._

 _No pulse._

Sky had to pull him away. Benny was thrashing in her grasp, and he _broke._

 _"Please, grandma, wake up!"_ Benny sobbed. "Please don't leave me! I cant have this happen again, please don't leave like everyone else! Everyone leaves, grandm! _Everyone leaves me_ _!"_

* * *

"How?" Ethan stuttered. "How is it you?"

 _ **"Shark."**_ The dragon looked at them with eyes of a familiar blue. The gang gasped as the dragon was enveloped in a flash of light. They closed their eyes, and before they opened them, words drifted in their ears.

 _ **"Shadow, and..."**_

The light cleared. Sky was the first to open her eyes and _there he was, grinning widely, holding the knife._

His eyes were filled with a kind of crazy she's never seen before.

* * *

 _She could see them. She didn't want to, what a curse this was. She thought she'd be up in the clouds, living a life in which she has passed on, and died - even if it wasn't a peaceful way to die, it was death, and she thought it would just be death._

 _No._

 _It has seemed as if before she could pass, she would have to watch his final moments._

 _She watched him with tears in her eyes._

 _He was crying._

 _He was falling._

 ** _This was his downfall._**

 ** _This was the end of Benjamin Weir._**

 ** _..._**

 _"no."_

 _..._

 _"not on my watch"_

* * *

 _"hEre iS yOuR weApon. the fairytale's fAte is up to yOu. TiMe has stopped, but noT for lOng. reTuRn thE Baby, beFore i put a new curse, and a new fairytaLe will take Place. don't cower away, thousands of kids will depend On you._

 _you have 'till the clock striKes twelvE, cinderella, to cross the Thorns of Truth, as I like to call my creation. Enchanting, no? It helps new couples ;)_

 _Kisses!_

 _-Shadow_

 _P.S- I suggest you keep this note. In case you do manage to defeat me, consider this a final clue ;)"_

 _..._

 ** _she closed the story book and looked at a copy of the note she had left them._**

 ** _banished in the oblivion was not the way she wanted to go. and it was all her fault, in all. it was her fault. she had given in to a more powerful force above her, and she was promised all these things she never got._**

 ** _they didn't listen to the note._**

 ** _they didn't even try. _**

**_was she upset? she wasn't sure; she was just another pawn._**

 ** _yet when she picked out all the capitals of the sentences and mixed them together._**

 ** _"fools," she thought. "this is your problem now."_**

 _..._

 _ESORAAOTMTOTREBFLPOKE_

* * *

"It can't be you..." Sky whispered.

"Oh it is," he said, his British voice ringing in her ears.

This was it.

 **This was their downfall.**

* * *

 _STOP MARK BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE_

* * *

...

"I told you I wasn't who you thought I was."

* * *

 **To be continued...**


	18. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

**yo wassup it be tobn here with a special surprise!**

 **on my tumblr (tiredofbeingnice123 . tumblr . com [no spaces]), i have begin teasing the newest addition to the 'friends series' which will be coming up in january 2017!**

 **i thought that since this was the "last" book, i should probably make it really special somehow.**

 **so from here on, i will be posting some sneak peeks of future chapters, some art i did (including the cover art for the story, which i just posted now :P) and some secret surprises ;)**

 **i hope that this is all very satisfying for you, my audience - the people who have been with me since the beginning. think of this as my 'thank you' for being the people you guys are. i know not many people read the 'friends series' as much as one would hope, but i am very happy about who i became friends with thanks to writing this series. oh, if there was only some way to make the end grow farther away than it may seem...**

 **anyway, that is all! i hope you have a fantastic day, and keep checkin' my tumblr for more updates (maybe follow me too, if you guys want to see my shitposting :P)**

 **~tobn**


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